Sonic & Sash: Tides of Chaos 2: Bad Bloodlines
by SonicChaosEmerald
Summary: Three years have passed since the two worlds collided. Peace has been upheld... but a raging bloodline from the past threatens to disrupt the peace once again. With the stakes raised on saving the dragon race, can Sonic and Sash save both Avalice and Mobius before both world's histories are wiped permanently?
1. Prologue: Times Have Changed

**Ladies and gentlemen, Freedom Planet and Sonic fans of all calibers! It is time for things to start ramping up! YOu may not have asked for it, but I still deliver it anyways! The familiar worlds with familiar faces and new foes! Ancient history will be uncovered, worlds will need saving, a race will be threatened, and bloodlines will be severed. It's time for...**

 _ **Sonic and Sash: Tides of Chaos 2  
**_ _ **Bad Bloodlines  
**_ _ **Act 1**_

 _Prologue: Times Have Changed..._

Avalice. A planet shaped by the history of the dragons. A planet flourishing with life... and had been wracked with events that shook the planet to the core. Originally pulled out of its original solar system by a mad scientist to take over, the planet now rested next to her now brother planet, Mobius, another world that had teemed with life.

It had been three years since the advent of Avalice's pulling into the solar system that Mobius rested by the mad Doctor Eggman, who had pulled the planet out of its original galaxy, and things on Avalice were finally settling down for once. The three kingdoms had evolved significantly during their three year growth period, and for a certain group of five, things had been coming very nicely...

A small sigh emerged from the basset hound's mouth as she sat in the middle of the small grotto underneath the large tree that had housed it. She was quiet, her jade eyes closed as she sat cross-legged on the ground in the center, a small orange sphere floating in front of her, seemingly shifting around a bit like it was reacting to the environment around it. After another sigh, the sphere dissipated into a dust that had soon completely vanished after that. The basset sighed, opening up her eyes before she stood up, getting ready to head out of the grotto. It was clear from her figure she was still young, just starting to blossom into maturity at age 14. Her messy orange hair had been somewhat tied back into a small fraying ponytail at the back of her head, and a black mark under each of her jade green eyes. Her ears had gotten longer and a bit furrier in the three years that had passed, as well as her developed and toned body and ample bust, showing she had developed quite a bit when she had reached maturity. Wrapped around her bust were compressive chest wraps, keeping her breasts close to her body, and overtop of that was a plain beige tanktop. She also wore a pair of black compression shorts with orange trim and had a green sweatshirt wrapped and tied around her waist. Cuffed around her wrists and ankles were a new pair of inhibitor rings like the ones that had shattered three years ago.

"Well, another peaceful meditation session down..." The basset spoke to herself, starting her way out of the grotto. "I'm at least glad I was able to dig this out and find it. It makes such a good meditation spot..." Soon enough she hit the outside, where a sunset was seen off in the distance past the valley. The basset smiled to herself; no matter how old she got, that sunset would always be calming to her. Relaxed, she climbed up the ladder into the massive treehouse, having gotten its fair share of renovations and upgrades since the group's last adventure. After all, becoming paid mercenaries for the three kingdoms has its benefits...

Soon enough the basset had opened the door to the treehouse and had walked inside to the main living room. A large flatscreen TV was on the left wall, underneath it a large cabinet containing various old-school and modern consoles, as well as several controllers. Opposite of the TV and cabinet was a red couch with a bookcase to one side and a small table next to it with a lamp on top, with a glass with ice sitting on it. A bit further away as a large kitchen table for seven, and right near that a kitchen with an island in the middle of it, the kitchen complete with fridge, oven, microwave and sink, with a hallway near the fridge heading backwards towards the bathroom and the shared bedroom.

Sitting on the couch were two figures, each of them holding a controller, both focusing on the game they were playing on the TV while talking to eachother. One of them was a green wildcat, with darker green patterns and black-tipped ears, and a white-furred stomach, her black-tipped furry tail was whipping a bit from her excitement. Her figure alone was shown of some built muscles that had developed over the years, as well as her bust. She was wearing a black tight-fitting tanktop and short green cargo shorts, with a rope tied as a belt. Her normal combat boots were off and she had her bare feet on the coffee table in front of the couch. The other figure was an orange two-tailed kitsune with a white muzzle and white furred stomach. He was wearing red cargo pants with a belt and a specified blaster on it. He wore red and white shoes on his feet which he had rested on the ground as he was holding his controller. A coatrack was nearby the couch, holding a worn long red scarf and a worn brown flight jacket.

"Oh come on!" The wildcat complained, slamming her controller into her lap. "You know I suck at sniper class!"

The kitsune grinned. "Well, you just need a bit more practice. Besides, Sonic and Sash are the ones doing most of the contracts we get after all, so we usually have free time."

"Yeah but most of the time we're usually working on our projects in the workshop!" Carol countered, before blushing. "That or our... 'fun'..." That phrase had also caused the kitsune to blush a bit before the two started getting closer...

"I'm sorry, I'm not ruining something intimate here am I?" The basset said, breaking the silence and causing the wildcat and kitsune to become immediately embarrassed.

"M-Milla!" The wildcat yelled. "Next time knock before you come in!"

The basset merely giggled a bit. "Oh please. You both know I usually end my meditation sessions at this time." She said, untying the sleezes of the sweatshirt around her waist and hanging it up on the coatrack with the jacket, before walking over and sitting on the floor next to the couch, cross-legged. "So, how's your projects in the new workshop coming?"

"Well, they're coming along just fine." Tails said. "The upgrades to the Tornado and Carol's bike have been coming along fine."

Carol looked over at Tails. "My bike has a name you know Tailsy. Cyclone, remember?"

Tails had soon sweatdropped. "Oh yeah, forgot you had named it that..." He said, blushing a bit.

"Wait, both of you had named your vehicles named after wind storms?" Milla said. "Wow, you two really are starting to become eachother."

Both Tails and Carol had blushed from the statement, looking away from eachother in embarrassment from Milla's comment. The basset couldn't help but giggle a bit from her own comment on how she basically made her two friends act so shy around eachother. "Well what can I say? A hound's intuition is always correct..."

"Riiiiight..." Carol said. "So! Any idea when Sonic and Sash are gonna be back? I mean, that contract's been taking them all day."

"No clue." Tails said. "With how late they're taking though, they might be coming back with dinner." Not a second after Tails had finished that statement had soon two more figures appeared at the entrance to the treehouse, coming inside. One of the two was dressed in a red and white jacket with black fingerless gloves, red high-ankle shoes with black tips and a pair of yellow-tinted sunglasses, well complementing his blue fur and quills and emerald-green eyes. A red bag was slung over his shoulder and he was carrying two large flat boxes and two chip bags on top. The other was clearly a lavender-skinned eastern water dragon, wearing a tight-fitting blue vest that cut off at the midriff, blue shorts with a red sash around her waist and a yellow string with a five-point flower knot. Her horns were curved back a bit partially covered darker lavender hair a chunk of it being her bangs hanging over her left eye, both eyes being a crimson color. Her blue boots extended up to her knees and had gold soles with what looked like small golden wings on the side. Wrapped around her neck and covering a bit of her lower face was a large crimson scarf, slightly worn from old age, the tail end as long as her twin tendrils reaching down to her ankles. Attached to the sides of her head and compressing where her ears would be a pair of headphone-styled crystal energy chargers; the titanium frame styled in a swooping spiral, with the blue containment picket for the crystals on top of that. The dragon was carrying what looked to be two six-packs of glass bottles.

"Guess who's home with dinner!" The hedgehog said, walking in with the two boxes and the chip bags and setting them on the coffee table, as the dragon set the the two cases on the table next to the boxes.

Carol's eyes lit up. "Oooooh right! Tonight's pizza night! I completely forgot it was tonight when I was working on Cyclone today!" She said, a smile lighting up her face. "So what kinds did you get tonight Sonic?"

"Two large pizzas. One half veggie lovers half meat lovers, and the other triple pepperoni and extra cheese." The hedgehog, Sonic, said, taking a seat on the couch with the dragon. "Regular flavored chips of course."

"And two cases of root beer to boot!" The dragon, Sash, said. PizZao Hut really had a good deal on out eats tonight!"

Sonic smirked. "Yeah, and even with our pays, it wasn't that much to begin with!"

"Well you guys know what that means..."

"CHOW TIME!" The five said, digging into the pizza for a good night together.

About a half hour into the movie the five were watching while having their dinner, Tails had finally asked the question on his mind about why Sonic and Sash took so long.

"Hey, Sonic?" Tails asked. "I'm curious. What were you and Sash taking so long out in the field for?"

Sash looked over at Tails. "Another contract for the Magister. We're still trying to track down that rogue that's wiping small villages of the Outer Kingdoms off the map."

"Right..." Carol said, her ears drooping a bit. "That unknown attacker that's been destroying small villages all across Avalice the past couple of months... looting them for crystals and raw materials..."

Sash nodded heavily. "Not to mention every time Sonic and I are sent to investigate... if there's ever any dragons living in the villages... it doesn't matter on age, element, gender... all of them are disturbingly killed, their tendrils hacked off by some kind of blade..."

Carol's ears drooped down further. "It doesn't make sense though. Sash, your species is considered the most holy on Avalice in entirety. Why... would someone be going around and destroying villages, wiping out every dragon in existence while at it?"

Sonic shook his head. "We're trying to find that out. That's why Sash and I have been out of the treehouse often these days; we've been trying to track down exactly who's been doing this."

"I can only hope we're closing in on who it actually is." Sash said. "All three of the Kingdoms have gone on high alert on protecting the citizens in case an attack of this assailant is launched. Even the Scarves are on caution."

"Damn, even Natalya's not taking any chances, is she?" Carol asked.

Sash shook her head. "Everyone's on high alert right now. Heck, Zao's even offering a massive bounty for taking this assailant out; over two million crystals for the capture of this criminal."

Carol nearly did a spit-take with her root beer. "Two MILLION?!" She exclaimed. I know Zao makes a lot of profits off his own Kingdom, but seriously! Two million crystals?!"

Milla's tail had started wagging after what Sash had said. "Ooooooh! That's a LOT of shinys for us!"

Sash nodded. "Either way... we're working as best as we can. The sooner we can put down this criminal down, the sooner all of us can rest easily."

"That reminds me..." Sonic said. "The Magister is having a meeting for us and the Kingdom leaders in Shang Mu tomorrow night, right?"

Sash nodded. "He wants all five of us to attend since we got involved in tracking whoever this is down."

Tails nodded. "Then let's get some rest tonight. We're probably gonna need all our energy for tomorrow night if its gonna be working out a plan for catching that criminal."

Sonic nodded, getting up and stretching a bit. "Yeah, we should hit the rack." He said, starting to walk back, before Sash got up and zipped to his side.

"Well, before we get some sleep... how about a little 'fun'?" The dragon asked, giggling as she finished her question. Sonic smirked, grabbing his dragon love and zipping into the bedroom. Milla giggled at the action and Tails and Carol couldn't help but roll their eyes.

"Ho boy..." Carol said, putting some of the leftover pizza from one box into the other. "They're gonna be up for part of the night for a while going at eachother..."

Milla couldn't help but giggle a bit. "Says the two who normally spend all their time in the workshop together..."

Carol's eyes widened and her ears drooped, her entire face turning a blush of cherry red. "Sh-SHUT UP MILLA!" Carol sputtered out, clearly flustered by what Milla had said. The basset couldn't help but let out a little giggle at the wildcat's expense while she took the pizza box over to the fridge and put it in.

"Either way... Carol, we should probably get back to working on the Tornado's attachments since Sonic and Sash are gonna be, eh, 'busy', right?" Tails asked, putting the leftover unopened bottles of root beer in the fridge. "I mean, we're almost done on the project. We might as well finish it up while those two enjoy themselves."

Carol sweatdropped. "Might as well... one those two lovebirds get a sessions started, they go at it for a while..." She said, heading out of the door to the treehouse, Tails soon walking out after her, leaving the basset alone to herself.

"Well then..." Milla said to herself, walking towards the bathroom. "Might as well get myself cleaned up for a good night's rest..." She said, walking into the bathroom and locking the door. Unbeknownst to the five though, they were being watched...

* * *

Carol sighed as she sat on the deck of the treehouse after she and Tails had finished up the work on the Tornado. Her ears drooped and her tail was wrapped around her waist as she looked up at the sky. Small tears started forming in her eyes as she looked up at the stars above, her emotions coming out and she put her hands in her face, sobbing quietly to herself... until someone else heard her.

"Hey... Carol?" A voice said. The wildcat turned her head around to see Tails walking out of the treehouse and sit down next to her. "Are you alright? You seemed kinda... down when we were working on the Tornado."

"I-it...it's nothing..." Carol said, looking down. "Just... it's getting close to that time of year..."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Tails asked, lightly grabbing Carol's arm. "Carol... it's okay. Trust me..."

Carol sighed. "Okay..." She spoke, her voice cracking. "I-I normally get like this during this time of year. M-mainly because... the day Coral had died is coming up soon..."

Tails' ears had drooped a bit. "Right... your sister you had told me about..." He said, hugging the wildcat. "Hey, Carol, we're here for you. Just to let you know that, okay? All of us here at the treehouse really care for you, myself included..."

The wildcat said nothing, just hugging the kitsune she loved tightly. "Th-thanks Tailsy..." She sputtered out.

"Hey, no problem..." Tails spoke. "Now, how about we catch some sleep? I've got a feeling we're gonna need our energy for tomorrow."

Carol nodded. "I'm fine with that..." She said, getting up. She was about to turn and head inside when she caught something out of the corner of her eye. "Huh?" She asked, turning in the direction of what caught her eye; it appeared to be a large dark spot moving across the sky...

"Hey, something wrong Carol?" Tails asked, noticing the wildcat was getting her phone out of her pocket.

"Something doesn't look right..." She said, opening the camera app and snapping a picture of the black spot that was moving across the sky. "I'll have to brighten this up later. It looks odd... and I feel like something might be there."

Tails nodded. "Mind if I investigate that with you?"

Carol smiled. "Not at all." She said."Now then, let's head inside." She said, pocketing her phone and stepping inside the treehouse with Tails...

* * *

The moon had risen high over the sapphire pagodas of the Kingdom of wisdom, Shang Tu as the families living there were getting ready to retire for the night. At the perch of the Royal Palace balcony stood a familiar figure, his face shrouded in darkness aside from his glowing eyes. He stood out, looking over the kingdom, thinking about the recent events that had happened within the past four years; The Brevon Crisis, Eggman's invasion, the slew of dragon murders... Things didn't seem to add up. How was it that these events were only now befalling their worlds? His thought process was interrupted though as footsteps came from behind him. His eyes looked behind him to see two figures approach him. One was a large white panda, male, wearing his typical shogun armor with spiked shoulder pads, a large gong-like shield strapped to the back of his large bulking frame. The other was a large half-dragon half-mongrel, brown-furred and taller than the panda a bit. He was dressed in his usual attire of his silver uniform jacket and black slacks and combat boots.

"Hmph. Gong, Askal, why are you two still up this hour?" The Magister spoke. "Forces retirement was nearly a half hour ago."

The panda, Gong, kneeled. "We still wanted to make sure you were safe sir..." He spoke. "With those recent strings of dragon murders and destruction of small villages, we fear the leaders of the Kingdoms might be next ones on this assailant's target list."

The Magister merely nodded. "Are there any findings from the mercenary's investigation so far?"

"None so far, your majesty." The half-mongrel, Askal, said, now kneeling. "We haven't found a trace of the culprit's DNA all across the crime scenes. They must be using a DNA eliminator to wipe their traces off of the attacks."

"Hmmm, this is most troubling..." The Magister said, looking out onto Shang Tu. "I am at least hoping this meeting tomorrow will bring some new evidence to light."

Askal nodded. "Zao has already said he's bringing Kalaw in to help with the situation, an-"

"Let's just hope that tengu doesn't let his ego overshadow the mission." Gong spoke. "He may be part cybernetic, but most of the time his ego gets in the way of the mission itself."

"I can be sure that he's not going to act like that." Askal countered. "Zao's expecting things to go smoothly tomorrow."

"Good." The Magister spoke. "The Scarves have also expressed their concern over the issue and will be joining for tomorrow. I've also taken the liberty in inviting the hedgehog and the dragoness to this meeting, since their group has had the most involvement in these cases."

Gong nodded. "Understood." He said, standing up.

"You two are dismissed." The Magister said. Both Gong and Askal nodded before the two left the room. There was a long period of silence before the Magister closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh, before speaking to presumably no one. "...you're not being very stealthy Neera-Li."

A small gasp was let out from behind him before the panda priestess stepped forward out of the shadows, trying to fix her black hair that was in a bit of a mess. Her outfit consisted of her usual lavender priestess dress form-fitting from the waist up and accentuating her mid-sized bust. A black sash was wrapped around her waist and small silver armor pads rested on her shoulders, and long black boots adorned her legs. "...S-sorry your Majesty..." She said, kneeling before him.

"Now, have the negotiations with Dail gone well for him to join us for the meeting tomorrow?" The Magister asked.

"Yes sir..." Neera spoke, trying to hide the blush on her face.

"Now then, your negotiations should have ended and you should have returned nearly three hours ago. Did... something come up?" The Magister spoke.

"I..." Neera started. "...guess you could say that." She finished, blushing.

The Magister sighed. "Neera..."

The priestess's face fell. "My apologies Magister. It won't happen again, I swear on my heart."

The Magister merely sighed. "Either way, are the preparations ready for tomorrow's meeting?"

Neera nodded. "Yes sir."

"Thank you." He spoke. "You are dismissed." The priestess nodded before leaving the room. The Magister turned to look back out at the outside...

* * *

From the main cabin of the massive floating airship high above the skies of Avalice, a feline figure sat in her luxurious pilot's chair, watching the surveillance footage of her drone watching the main five for most of their evening. She smirked a bit, knowing that they didn't even know about her and her affiliates being behind the attacks on the villages. The less they knew of her schedule the better.

She giggled sinisterly to herself while watching the footage. "Perfect..." She said to herself, looking over the footage. "The dragon and her friends don't suspect a thing. With part one of my plan found, all we need is to locate part two..."

"H-h-hey, boss!" A twitchy voice said, a small monkey rushing into the room from the back.

The feline smiled at the monkey entering into the room. "Ah, greasemonkey, there you are. What's the status update on finding our weapon?"

"W-w-we got a massive signal coming out from under the eastern ocean!" The monkey said, his eye twitching a bit. "It's r-registering as the tech that we're looking for!"

The feline smirked widely. "Excellent work greasemonkey!" She said, pleased. "Now then, are the attack drones ready?"

The small monkey gave a salute. "E-every drone is ready! A-and the bots you needed me to make for assaults are all completed!"

The feline smirked. "Perfect..." She purred. "Now, what's the status of that little 'heroes meeting' that the mongrel informed us about?"

"T-taking place tom-morrow!" The monkey said. "There's gonna be a big one! Th-they even invited the five we're watching!"

The feline merely smirked. "Hmph... is that so?" She said, starting to laugh maliciously to herself. "Well then, I think it's time we give them a rather warm 'welcome'... get the drones warmed up."

The monkey saluted. "Y-you got it boss!" He said, scampering out of the room as the wildcat turned her attention back to the monitor.

"Three years..." She growled. "Three years it's taken to track down this weapon. Many years the Tea bloodline has been overshadowed by those wretched lizards when they first came here." A small smirk started to appear on her face. "That legacy of those scale-hided meatbags ends soon. The day of my sister's death will soon be upon us, and on that day, she will be avenged. The dragon legacy will fall... and the Tea bloodline will rise again as the true shapers of Avalice. And by the time this is done, I will personally make sure I have your head on a silver platter... _Sash Lilac!_ " With that, the massive airship turned off and started moving in the direction of Shang Mu...

* * *

 _ **So things have have been finally set into motion. The meeting in Shang Mu tomorrow will discuss about trying to track down the elusive dragon murderer. But who is this mysterious feline watching the main five? What is she meaning by a 'warm welcome'? Questions will be revealed next chapter...**_

 _ **Big props for Alex a.k.a. Slayer-The-Fox on deviantArt for the cover for the story. I suggest you check out his account if you wanna see some good art!**_

 _ **Either way, it has begun. See you next chapter...**_


	2. Chapter 1: Shang Mu '97

**_..._**

 ** _Sonic and Sash: Tides of Chaos 2  
Bad Bloodlines  
Act 1_**

 _Chapter 1: Shang Mu '97_

"Man, I forgot how long of a ride it is out to Shang Mu..." Carol said to Tails as she kept speed with him on her bike for the trip. The group had left over an hour ago and they still weren't close to the commercial crimson Kingdom; they were still about an hour or so away. "I guess the events of three years ago and the lack of leaving the workshop for both of us has kinda made me forget how far it is."

"You're telling me." Tails said, driving alongside Carol in the Tornado's buggy mode, with Milla riding in the back, eyes closed in meditation. "Most of our contracts are just tech contracts. It's Sonic and Sash that usually do the field work, along with Milla."

"Good point." Carol said. "Hey, speaking of those two... where are they? Weren't they following us?"

"They're probably running through the loops and corkscrews around here." Tails said. "They haven't really gotten a break to just run around freely through the valley on their own time."

"But don't we need to get to the meeting by tonight?" The wildcat asked. "I mean, yeah, their fast on their feet, but..."

"Yeah, they're the two fastest friends we have." The kitsune replied. "Besides, I'm sure they'll be able to get there on time." As soon as he had finished that statement, a blue blur and a lavender blur whizzed by them off in the direction of the crimson kingdom, elicting a small grin off the kitsune's face.

"See, what'd I tell you?" He said. "They'll make it on time."

"From the looks of how fast they're going, it looks like they're trying to be early for it." Carol retorted. "Then again, this is about that dragon genocide going on..."

* * *

Soon enough the hedgehog and the dragoness skidded to a halt inside the main walls of the crimson kingdom of commerce, and have times changed for here. Skyscrapers and pagodas towered above with multi-leveled highways running inbetween them all over the kingdom like its artificial blood veins. Neon red lights and electronic billboard ads adourned the city, making everything bright and shiny. In just the three short years since the Death Egg incident, Shang Mu had literally became 'the kingdom that never sleeps'.

The hedgehog whistled. "So this is where Shang Mu's taxdollars are going into?" He asked, looking up at the skyline. "Seems like a bit much, even for his standards."

The dragoness merely shrugged. "Beats me, I don't know what goes on inside that head of his. Or that massive hat of his for that matter..." She answered, getting a chuckle out of Sonic.

"I swear, his hat is about on border with his ego size." Sonic said, laughing a bit, with Sash joining with him.

"You're right about that." Sash replied, before a growl came from her stomach, causing the hedgehog to grin.

"You getting hungry?" He asked. The dragoness blushed a bit before nodding.

"I guess you can say that. I feel in a good mood for a chilidog, how about you?" She asked, causing the hedgehog to grin.

"I'm always up for a good dog." He said, the two walking towards a nearby food stand.

"Yeah sir, I'd like two chilicheesedogs..." Sonic started as Sash leaned back against a building and looked up at the darkened night sky, thinking to herself. 'It's hard to believe that all of this had happened in over three years... I guess the salvaged Brevon tech from the leftover crashed pieces of his Dreadnought and whatever pieces that broke off Eggman's space station really did a number on the development of the kingdoms... then again, some of Eggman's roboticizations on the kingdoms were next to irreversible...' She sighed, looking off into the night sky. 'I've had nearly two adventures in over the span of a year; first the Brevon Crisis and then the Eggman Crisis...' It was that point where she noticed something was... off about the sky. It looked darker than usual...

"Hmm... well, that's odd." Sash said to herself.

"What's odd?" Sonic asked, catching the dragon off guard and causing her to jump a bit.

"Ack, sorry about that..." Sash answered, regaining her posture. "You caught me off guard there."

"It's fine." Sonic replied, handing Sash a chilicheesedog and a bottle of root beer. "So, what's odd?"

"That dark spot above us." Sash said, indicating to the skyline, causing Sonic to look up. "I'm thinking that might be one of the kingdom's airships, but... it wouldn't make sense as to why it's parked all the way out here..."

"You got a good point there..." Sonic said, looking at the dark spot with her before taking a bite of his dog. "Tell you what, how about after the meeting, we take some time out of our schedule to do a bit of an 'investigation'?"

Sash smirked, removing the bottlecap from her root beer with her teeth before taking a sip. "I'd like that. And besides, if it's hostile, we can do some good out of it."

Sonic nodded, before he and Sash started walking off towards the city palace. However, unknown to the two, a figure was watching from the skyscraper nearby, keeping a close eye on the two, before radioing something into a communicator.

"Well, looks like the two wankas are on their way to that meeting." He spoke, a slight accent in his voice. "You made sure Battery's got all the bombs set, right Corzy?"

"OF COURSE the bombs are set up, who do you take me for?" The voice from the other end spoke, rather irritate and trying very hard to hide it. "I would also like to remind you that I am _not_ your girlfriend, so keep those 'pet names' of yours to yourself. Finally, before you start barking orders, I would like you to think very carefully about your place in the greater order of things, lest I remind you _personally_. I believe that you have enough common sense to know not to tempt fate in such a manner."

"Yeah yeah, I know." The figure said. "Either way, I'll head out to get into position."

"You better." The voice spoke. "I've already got greasemonkey getting the drones and my special attack robot requests ready, and the last thing I need is some incompetence from someone else's end."

The figure nodded. "I'm on it mate."

"One last thing..." The voice said. "No one, and I REPEAT, NO ONE can know you're allied with me. At least, not yet. Once my agenda is taken care of, you can get the credit you deserve, but for now, keep a low association profile with me. Now get moving, that event starts in twenty minutes."

The figure nodded. "Roger." The figure said before ending the transmission and taking off above the city...

* * *

Soon enough the red buggy and red modded motorcycle came to a stop outside the palace steps, the green wildcat hitting a button on the handlebars and the bike's floating wheels condensed into the frame of the bike, setting it into park mode.

"I'm not expecting this meeting to get far before Zao interjects to something." Carol said, dismounting from her bike. "With his ego almost the size of his friggin' hat, he's gonna complain about SOMETHIN'."

"Maybe you should have more faith in him Carol." Milla spoke gently, crossing her arms. "After all, it's been over three years. Maybe he's changed his ways."

"Pffffft, yeah right. Twenty crystals that Zao hasn't changed." Carol retorted.

"Thirty."

"Forty."

"I'm not going that high."

"Thirty-five."

"Deal." Milla answered, shaking hands with Carol before the three reached the palace doors. Tails just lightly sighed and opened the doors, clearly baffled as to why the girls were making the bet in the first place.

After a short walk, the three had managed to reach the meeting room, which under normal circumstances was the grand dining room. A large golden dragon head statue and claws adorned the one wall, with a long table in the center of the room and several chairs around it, the whole room held up by large crimson columns. At one seat was the Magister with Neera-Li to his right and General Gong and Sergeant Askal to his left. Both Gong and Askal were at attention though Neera had a small blush on her face, more likely since in the seat next to her was Shuigang's panda king, King Dail. Next to Askal was a familiar figure wearing a black cloak and golden horned helmet, obscuring the face. Standing on either side of her was a half-panda-half-cavy wearing a black vest and white pants with red shades and a white snowcat wearing a black piece of clothacross her bust with straps at the center going around her neck and very short black compression shorts and a loose-fitting belt around her waist, with her white bangs going over one eye. The one next to that figure, having to bee boosted up a bit because of his short height and who's hat was nearly as tall as he was himself, was Mayor Zao, with a large half-roboticized tengu standing next to him. Of course, more closer to them were none other than their friends Sonic and Sash.

"Sorry we're late guys!" Carol said, stretching a bit. "Traffic here was a bit backed up."

"It's okay young Tea." The Magister spoke. "Now please, have a seat with the others. We have important matters to discuss." The wildcat nodded, before she, the basset and the kitsune took a seat at the table.

"Now then, since everyone is here, we can begin..." The Magister spoke. "As the hedgehog and the dragoness already know from their recent contracts, we have a pressing issue at hand. We... have a dragon genocider at hand."

"And from what we've gathered, one that knows how to eliminate evidence." Dail added on. "Even from what little evidence we've tried to gather, only one small detail we've gathered is consistent across all these murders. They've all had their tendrils hacked off."

"A sinful disgrace to the dragons to cut off their tendrils. Even moreso than killing them." The helmeted figure spoke. "Either way, the Scarves investigation into what was stolen itself was devastating. Over several thousands worth of metal and crystals were stolen from nearly every single village that was hit, and from the lack of tracks going in or out of each instance, its very likely that the one at fault has been using an airship."

"Which brings us to our next topic." Neera spoke, setting out a hologram pad that brought up a hologram of an airship. "Nearly several years ago, before the first incident, we had a report of someone having broken into the military hangars and killing all the guards, making off with this airship itself. We haven't been able to track down the major suspect itself, but we highly believe that these two events are related."

"I mean, it would make sense..." Sash spoke for the first time during the meeting. "Hijack or steal an airship, and use it for raiding. It would explain how we've been unable to track them down... but... one thing first. Did it have any sort of cloaking device installed into it?"

"It would have had to, mate." The tengu spoke. "I been flyin' around the city skyline for as long as I've been bloody workin' here, and I haven't even seen a sign of that bloomin' thing."

"Kalaw, please, lay off the ego." General Gong spoke. "Either way, yes, the ship, Sigwada as it was named, does have a cloaking device."

"Then that would only make us trying to find this person harder..." Sonic said. "Do we have any suspects on who it may be?"

"We only had one, but the connected incident of the Sigwada theft throws it out of the window." Askal spoke. "We have no leads at this point as to where we need to go."

Milla closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath. "This criminal seems like someone that's certain to put up a massive fight. Someone who would be strong to fight us, yet nimble enough to efficently dodge and counter moves thrown at them..."

"Well they can't be alone." Sash added. "There were clear signs that there were more than one perpetrator at each scene, including some kind of small mech at each scene..."

"This doesn't add up..." Tails spoke. "Who could be behind this in the first place?"

Sonic thought for a bit. "I think it might be best if we start searching. Mayb-" The hedgehog was cut short as soon several resounding explosions soon echoed outside, shaking even the very palace the meeting was being held in. The five wasted no time as soon they were out of their seats and then ran out of the palace... to a grim sight. Smoke was towering up as several locations where large skyscrapers were had been collapsed, flames towering out above where several buildings had stood. "The hedgehog had clenched his fists, anger starting to boil inside him at the sight... until a single voice spoke.

"... you're fifteen seconds late." The voice spoke, completely devoid of emotion, so cold as to almost be that of a machine. The five had soon looked up to see a steampunk pod floating above in front of them. Standing up on the pod itself was a familiar green wildcat wearing goggles and an overly extravagant pilot's suit, her only movement being her pupils shrinking to slits and her whiskers twitching as she stared at a watch, seemingly not paying attention to them. On one side of her was another floating pod that had small thruster legs and large flamethrowers attached to the sides of the pod, piloted by a small monkey wearing an orange and white jumpsuit and goggles, with a noticable twitch in his head. The third, standing on the side of the wildcat's pod... it was next to impossible to tell what it was. It's face was obscured by a visor with a single red light eye at the front of it, and most of it's body was covered in armor, save for the long cyan tail-like appendage coming out from behind its body.

"Then again," almost theatrically, she noisily snapped the watch shut and turned to face them. "I would have been disappointed if you hadn't come running. Hero types like you cannot resist the sudden disappearance of... 'innocent' lives."

Sash gritted her teeth, her stance rightening and eyes growing sharp, her fists clenching tightly. "So then... judging from you, and the fact that that was your airship parked over the city, you're probably our village raider, aren't you?"

The wildcat smirked. "You have guessed correctly." She said smugly, satisfaction growing at Sash's expression. "Why the long face? They were nobodies, rabble with no future and no role to play in anything. Mere meat for the reaper to harvest. All I did was hasten nature's course and give their deaths a measure of purpose. After all, it managed to attract you all here." Sonic clenched his fists. The wildcat definitely noticed it, her piercing gaze shifting to him. "How about you go quietly before we have to knock some teeth out of you, huh?" He said. His taunt did not seem to impress her. "A weak threat from a weakling infused with unearned pride gained from fighting mediocre foes. I am afraid for you that I am not Eggman." The wildcat said, a malicious smirk starting to grow on her face, before snapping her fingers. "AAA. Deploy your creations."

"Y-you got it boss!" The monkey said, hitting a button on his console. Soon enough three separate pods were launched from the floating airship above, one striking the ground right in front of the pod inbetween the heroes and the wildcat. She smirked as she saw the pod open and the robot start to come out through the smoke... but it almost immediately went away when she heard a mew come from the mech. When the smoke cleared, it was seen that the robot was mounted on two gigantic legs to either side of it's main circular core, with two massive miniguns mounted onto it, and on it's front it had... a cat face and ears? The wildcat glared directly at the monkey, clearly irritated at the robot in front of her.

"Greasemonkey!" She said quietly, rage dripping from her voice even more than if she had been screaming, her left eye twitching madly. "I said an ATTACK ROBOT, not A CAT ROBOT!"

"I-I don't see what you're c-complaining about b-boss!" The monkey stuttered. "T-the CAT-209 is a top state-of-the-art killing machine! I designed i-it myself and tested it t-to be a proven death m-machine!" He finished, hitting a button on the console of his pod, and soon the miniguns on the mech whirred to life, firing slews of bullets at the five... if Milla hadn't jumped to the front and put up a massive energy shield in front of the five, her eyes glowing green to show her expended power.

"Hmph... no matter. Have fun playing with your new... friend." The wildcat said, shaking off her anger. "Come. We have some more important matters to attend to." She finished, before the two pods took back off to the airship above...

"G-guys!" Milla yelled. "There's still two other of these things that got dropped off in the city! Get those taken care of, I'll handle this one!"

Sonic nodded. "Let's go guys!" He said, before he and Sash took off towards the pod that landed in the west area while Tails and Carol moved off towards the east area of the city, leaving the psychic basset to deal with the one robot still firing at her. Milla focused her one hand into summoning one orange orb which she shot into the ground while she maintained the other hand to hold up the shield, and commanded her hand to control the other orb to under the mech's left foot before her eyes flashed orange, forcing her hand up and throwing a massive chunk of earth up under one of the feet of the mech. The robot hissed in pain as it became tipped and knocked down the mass of stairs before it crashed at the bottom, very banged up and dented.

The Robot soon re-rightened itself and stood up, hissing angrily at the basset, before firing off rockets from its back at the dog. Milla quickly raised a shield to block the missiles, but it soon proved fruitless as they shattered the barrier and launched the basset backwards into a column. The dog growled, getting up off the ground, clenching her fists in anger. "Alright! You want a fight?" She yelled, stripping away her beige tanktop and sweatshirt, ripping the headband out of her orange hair and letting it fall past her shoulders, her eyes glowing orange with power. "Then you've got one!"

The robotic cat walker hissed before firing off another barrage of missiles at the basset. The dog growled to herself before stomping the ground in front of her, raising an earth wall in front of her on which the missiles collided with, before snapping her hand forward, launching the large earth wall forward and slamming it into the mech. The mech as forced backwards before it aimed its guns straight at the basset, before activating its main laser cannons and fired two deadly heat beams straight at Milla. The basset's hands glowed orange before raising the earth in front of her to form a cone shape, her eyes glowing brightly before she angled the cone more to reflect the laser right back at the cat mech. The mech teetered backwards, crashing onto its back and smashing its main power frame, shutting the mech down... before its eyes started flashing red. Milla barely had any time to react before the mech outwardly exploded, launching the basset backwards against the hard wall, knocking her unconscious...

* * *

Soon enough Tails and Carol had reached the business district, ready to encounter another one of the mechs, which was in the middle of firing its rounds at several innocent civilians, causing them to flee in terror. Tails immediately took his blaster off his belt and immediately opened fire on the mech, shooting off fire bombs that collided with the mech's surface, starting to heat it up. The mech took notice of this and soon flipped around, immediately opening fire on the wildcat and the kitsune. Tails dashed off to the left and Carol dashed off to the right before Carol took the katana off her back, making a slice at the mech, but it's armor didn't even budge or cut an inch as she soon recoiled off it and ducked behind debris as the mech opened fire on her.

"Son of a gun!" Carol growled. "This thing's armor is impenetrable! Tailsy! You got any ideas?"

"Let me switch over to Flamethrower mode!" He said, turning his blaster to double fire weapon settings. "I'll try and get close and superheat it's armor! Once it's there-"

"Slash through it with my sword since the metal is gonna be more malleable!" Carol finished. "You gonna be okay though?! That thing could shred you apart!"

"Double Flame's gonna be the only thing that'll superheat it enough!" Tails said. "Think you can distract it?"

"I'm a Tea! Of course I can distract it!" She said, leaping out from her spot and started luring the bot's firing away from her mate. Soon enough she was scaling a wall, keeping the mech's weapon systems on her while Tails soon dashed out from behind his cover and slid underneath the mech.

"Try this on for size!" Tails yelled, hitting the trigger and unleashing a massive flame stream onto the underside of the mech, keeping it held down for as long as he could, the sweat on the fur of his face increasing the longer he held down the trigger. The mech started screeching and flailing, now distracted with Tails literally bringing the heat to its metal casing. "Carol! NOW!"

With that, Tails lept out of from under the side of the mech right as Carol dashed straight under the body of the mech, slashing her katana across the superheated metal and creating a massive gap in the shape of a cross in the mech itself before backflipping out of the way, landing behind some cover debris right as a pair of launched missiles hit it, sending rubble over the wildcat's head.

"Alright, got a couple of gashes cut into that thing," Carol said. "What now? Got any ideas?"

"Think you might be able to rip that metal you cut back? It's too small for me to get a clear shot at it!"

Carol nodded. "I'll get that ripped open no problem! I'll need some cover, think you can distract it?"

Tails nodded, changing one of the settings on his settings on his blaster to 'Tracer'. "From what I've observed so far, that thing's A.I. is programmed to kill anything that moves. This should be easy." He said, before pulling the trigger and launching out a massive fire snake into the air. The mech's A.I. kicked in and immediately started opening fire on the fire snake.

"Alright, now's your chance! Go!" Tails said, before Carol nodded. The wildcat then dashed out from behind the rubble as the mech was firing on the fire snake above, Carol soon leaped to the underside of the mech, using her claws and prying open the sliced open metal plating, exposing the internal metal guts. She then had lept off before the cat mech knew what was going on and quickly dashed behind another wall as the mech re-opened fire on her.

"Armor's ripped open Tailsy!" Carol yelled from her spot. "It's your time now!"

"Got it!" Tails said, switching the fire node on the one side of his blaster to an electric node. "Let's see how it likes this!" He said, pulling the trigger and firing on the large mech itself, the laser homing straight into the gap in the metal before the entire mech spazzed out before erupting into a massive fireball, exploding and sending shrapnel everywhere. Both the kitsune and the wildcat ducked behind their respective barriers until the flames had died down, then peaking out from behind the rubble.

"Talk about some explosive decompression..." Carol said, looking over the wreck of the mech, what little of it was left.

"You're telling me..." Tails said, looking at Carol. "So Carol... who was that?"

"Who was what?"

"That other wildcat in the pod that attacked us?"

"..."

* * *

"Heads up!" Sonic yelled as a piece of debris was flung straight at Sash, who nimbly dodged out of the way at the last second. "Sheesh! How much effort does it take into making this thing fall?!"

"No clue!" Sash yelled. "I sliced it open a couple of times with my tendrils, and it's still standing! This thing's got more bulk than any of Brevon's boltbrains!"

"I think we got it on the ropes though!" Sonic answered, dodging out of the way of a rocket. "You wanna try a rolling combo to try and take it down?"

"That might be our only option at this point!" Sash replied, dodging out of the way machine gun fire. "I say we do it!"

Sonic nodded. "Now!" He yelled, before the two dashed at eachother, grabbing eachother's hands and spinning into a whirlling spinball before launching forward, slamming against the mech. A loud, ear-grating sceech of ripping metal and syntheic cat screeches sounded before the two broke through the center of the mech itself, slicing it clean in half. Electric currents danced between the two halves before the fell to the sides, causing both sides to explode into fireballs. Sash couldn't help but smirk a bit as the two landed.

"Ha! That got my blood running!" She said, smirking. "Is that it?!"

Sonic couldn't help but chuckle a bit, shaking his head. "You're starting to become way too much like me..."

Sash merely smirked. "So, should we head back? Carol and the others should have already taken care of those other mechs."

Sonic nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me." He replied, getting into a running position. Sash giggled before she did the same thing and soon the two had dashed off towards the palace again.

"So Sonic, I'm curious..." Sash said as they ran. "That wildcat that attacked us... she looked awfully similar to Carol..."

"You think she might have some answers?"

"Probably." Sash answered. "Carol would probably know more about this than us."

"Well, hopefully she knows..." Sonic said as the palace came into view. "And hopefully Zao's not gonna throw an aneurysm for nearly a third of Shang Mu being trashed."

"I think that's the least of our worries..." Sash said as soon she blasted ahead of Sonic. The hedgehog was confused at first until he saw the basset slammed against the side wall, unconscious, Sash already beside her to try and wake her up.

"Milla! You there girl?" She said, lightly shaking the basset, getting the response of a stir and a light moan before the basset's eyes opened.

"Unngh... y-yeah, I think so..." Milla spoke, holding her head in pain as she sat up. "I didn't see that there was a self-destruct failsafe in that robot fast enough... I-I'll be fine, I've taken worse from Syntax three years ago then from this."

Sash nodded, helping her friend up. "Okay, just... you know I still worry about what had happened nearly four years ago..."

Milla nodded in response. "It's okay Sash... it's only a natural emotion. Everyone has worry about others they care about..."

"Guys!" yelled a voice. Soon the three looked over to see Tails and Carol rushing towards them.

"Tails!" Sonic answered. "Hey, you and Carol alright?"

Tails nodded. "Yeah... but you're not gonna believe this!"

* * *

"WHAT?!"

"You're telling me that sociopathic criminal wildcat that just tried to kill us is YOUR SISTER?!" Sash yelled, clearly shocked about the information she and the others had received. "Dammit Carol, why didn't you tell us about this before?!"

"Because I thought she was dead!" Carol retorted. "I thought she had died not long after she got exiled from the Scarves!"

"Well clearly not if she was there right in front of us!" Sash retorted.

"Please, both of you, calm down!" Milla said, stepping inbetween the two. "Now Carol, please, explain calmly as to who that other wildcat was."

"Alright..." Carol sighed, taking a deep breath. "Her full name is Corazon Shinyava Tea, and she's my oldest sister of my family. Originally because of her disgraceful behavior to our family name she was exiled completely, before Coral and I had left the family ourselves. After the two of us had joined the Scarves, it wasn't long until we had discovered that Corazon had joined in there before we had." She sighed, continuing. "While Coral had been one of the most impressive Scarves due to successful missions she completed, Corazon had the highest body count in the Scarves... but for the wrong reasons. She deliberately went out of her way to kill anyone that got in the way of the missions, even straying off the path to kill innocent dragons that didn't even relate to the mission itself... Head Scarf had considered that kind of behavior when we were trying to build better relations with the kingdoms, and soon enough Corazon had been exiled from the Scarves as well."

"Carol..." Sash asked, looking a bit down. "Why didn't you tell me about this before?"

"Because after Corazon was exhiled she seemed to just kinda... disappear." Carol said. "No one saw any trace of her after she was exhiled from the Scarves. Even then, this was all before I met you Sash, and more than likely before you joined because Spade had just joined only a month before Corazon's exile. With everything that happened, we all though she had gotten herself arrested or killed by any of the military forces in the kingdoms... well, clearly we were wrong..."

"Clearly." Sonic said. "But here's the biggest question I have. Why has she been killing dragons?"

"That I don't specifically know for sure. Mother always said it had something bad to do in our bloodline, but she never really went further than that..."

"Well either way, we've got a massive problem on our hands!" Tails said, slamming a fist into his other hand. "We've gotta track down and stop this psycho before more Avalicians get killed by her hands!"

"Then I think we might know where to start..." Sash spoke. "I recognized that symbol that was on that one thing's armor next to Corazon. It was a similar symbol to what I saw when the Magister had sent me back to investigate Pangu Lagoon." She said, rightening. "I have a feeling if we go to investigate there, we just might be able to get some answers on this entire thing."

Sonic nodded. "I'm in agreement." He said, putting his hand in the center of the circle of five with Sash. "Anyone else?"

"I'm in." Tails said, putting his hand in.

"For my friends." Milla answered, putting her hand in.

"Let's do it... for everyone's sake." Carol answered, putting her hand in. "We do this for us... and for everyone living here!"

Sash nodded. "Then let's get moving."

"Hold up now, dragonborn." A voice spoke, before the five turned to see the Magister, accompanied by Neera-Li and Gong.

"M-Magister, sir!" Sash said, bowing out of respect.

"It is alright young one. There's no need for the bowing right now." The Magister spoke, allowing Sash to get up. "It is just before you go with your friends, there's something we need to give you proper, since there hasn't been any other time to give it to you." He said, snapping his fingers before another syntax-like robot appeared, though unlike the one from three years ago, this one was a lighter metal, with blue tentacles and head and a single blue eye. "Pangu, go with your new user."

"Yes Magister." The robot spoke, before floating over to Sash's side.

"The Magister has thought since Miss Lilac was the one who originally restored her legacy with the dragons, it would be best if Pangu went with her." Neera spoke. "It's his logic, Gong and I are just following orders." Sash nodded.

"We'll make sure Corazon is brought down before any more damage is done." Sash spoke.

Sonic nodded. "Then let's head back to base. We can get to checking out our location in question first thing in the morning."

Sash nodded, before the five took off back towards the treehouse...

* * *

"What? WHAT? WHAAAAT?! WHAAAA WHAAA WHAAAAAT!" The monkey shrieked, slamming his fists on the console of his pod inside the ship, looking not unlike a non-sapient monkey as he thrown a temper tantrum. "H-how?! How could those five impudent little guinea pigs destroy m-my cr-creations?!"

The wildcat remained motionless, the only hint of emotion being her tail swishing slowly behind her. "No matter." She spoke in a cold, calm tone. "Those machines served their purpose. They performed as expected and we have the data we were looking for. On more pressing matters..." The simian ceased his tantrum, now paying attention to the feline. "The Bakunawa. Any progress on locating it?"

"N-none so far boss." The monkey spoke. "Wh-what about our special w-weapon we have with us?"

" _What_ about me?" Another voice spoke, before the visored figure stepped out from the nearby shadows.

"Ah, my lady. You have perfect timing." Corazon spoke, her tone suddenly almost sickeningly sweet as she turned around and bowed slightly, her tail suddenly still. "I was merely inquiring my little greasemonkey employee as to further leads on your original weapon's location. He sometimes forget that it is not yet in your possession. What about yourself? Have you been successful in gaining information?"

"Hmph." The figure crossed its arms derisively, clearly disgusted with the show. It then carried on. "My leads are few but I do remember one specific area. There is an old abandoned aquatic base in the waters to the north of that jade kingdom. If there's any place that the Bakunawa might be stored, it would be there."

Corazon smiled sweetly, her eyes still closed, her figure still bowed. "That is great news. Your brilliance inspire us ever more. We will take it upon ourselves to follow the information you have gathered. You need not worry. By tomorrow's morning, the Sigwada shall be right above the base that you are looking for. I will make sure to keep AAA in line while you train."

The figure nodded, calming down, though it still glared at the feline through its visor. "One more thing." Corazon remained completely still and submissive. "Was there any reason you dared to try and order me not to fight the dragon girl?"

There was no hint of tensing, no change in her perfectly happy, submissive demeanor. Not even a hint of body language. Just a slight pause before she answered, barely a second long. "I have a personal issue with the dragon girl. It is my deepest desire to deal with her myself. I apologize for my previous boldness. If you would be magnanimous enough to forgive me and to allow me the honor of disposing of her myself..."

"Fine. But you better remember your place next time." The figured nodded to itself and then left the room, leaving Corazon and the monkey alone.

The moment the figure was out of sight, Corazon's sweet smile and attitude vanished as instantly as it had appeared, leaving her to stand tall and unnaturally still. Her words came, clipped, cold, and cutting as ice blades. "Greasemonkey. Set a course for the seas north of Shuigang and prepare the excavation drones. We're going on an archaeological trip..."

* * *

 _ **So it seems like the wheels of fate have been set into motion once again. With their near-death encounter at the hands of Corazon's mechs, the group plans to investigate the ruins at Pangu Lagoon the next day. But what will they uncover more that Sash hadn't already found from their first trip there? And what's with Corazon's charade around the visored figure? Who's REALLY in charge here? More burning questions will be answered in Chapter 2: 'A Legacy Uncovered'...**_


	3. Chapter 2: A Legacy Uncovered

**_..._**

 ** _Sonic and Sash: Tides of Chaos 2  
Bad Bloodlines  
Act 1_**

 _Chapter 2: A Legacy Uncovered..._

The next morning soon rose as the five began their trek out to Pangu Lagoon, Sash leading the way to the hidden ruins in the southernmost peninsula of the continent. It was a lengthy trip, and some of he questions being asked didn't help.

"How much longer until we get there?" Carol said, wiping the sweat from her matted fur above her eyes as she drove her motorcycle alongside Tails' biplane, piloted by the kitsune itself. "I feel like we've been going for nearly several hours at this point!"

"We're not that far Carol." Sash said, her tendrils whipping behind her as she ran. "It's only a couple more miles before we hit the equator."

"Geez, is THIS how far your trek took you when you came here the first time when you found Pangu originally?!" Carol said. "No wonder it took you so long to do that after we had gotten separated!"

"You're telling me." Sash said. "Besides, didn't that truck ride Gong took you and Milla on take several hours?"

"Six hours and thirty-seven minutes, to be exact." Milla said, panting from the back of the Tornado. "It's already taken us nearly two hours to get there in the first place, so it shouldn't be much farther."

"You okay back there Ruff Stuff?" Carol asked, looking up at her canine friend.

"I'm fine." Milla said through some of her pants. "Just trying to keep myself cool. Basset hound; less sweat glands than most Avalicans, remember?"

"Touche." Carol answered.

"We should be getting close." Sonic said, smirking before he blasted off ahead, leaving the four behind.

Sash smirked. "Oh no you don't!" She said, before Dragon Boosting ahead after the hedgehog, leaving the three to themselves.

Carol deadpanned. "Ten crystals says their hormones get the better of them."

"I'm in agreement to that." Tails said, focusing on piloting the plane.

"...when we have something this serious, you really think they're going to let their instincts get the better of them?" Milla spoke to the two. "Twenty says they don't."

"Oh you are so on Milla." Carol said. "Better get ready to pay up, cuz' I'm gonna win this one!"

The basset merely rolled her eyes. "Suuuure..."

* * *

"Woohoo!" Sonic yelled as he launched off a natural ramp into the air above the dragoness before landing in front of her, running backwards. "Come on Sash, what're you waiting for?"

"An oppurtunity..." Sash started, before boosting ahead and tackling Sonic. "like THIS!" Soon the two were rolling in a ball down the inclined slope they were running along until they had hit a clearing with a couple of stone architectures around, Sash ending up on top of Sonic as the two slid to a stop in the center of the small clearing. Both laughed a bit as the dragon had helped her hedgehog love up.

"Man... it feels so good to get some adrenaline into my system this morning." Sonic said, stretching as soon as Sash helped him up. "At least we've now had a good run out to do something like this."

Sash nodded. "Yep, just us together..." She said, smirking a bit as she stretched, a bit of sweat running down her face.

"Will say though, man is this place quite the ways away from the treehouse." The hedgehog said, unzipping his jacket. "And so humid down here too..."

"Yeah, forgot to mention about that..." Sash said, still stretching as some of the sweat ran down her face. "We probably should have dressed a bit lighter before we came here."

"I'm pretty sure Tails has an extra hyperstorage cube or something we can store our extra clothes into while we explore." Sonic said, slipping off his jacket, showing his lightly toned chest. "So it shouldn't be too much of a problem."

"Hopefully." Sash answered, wiping the sweat from her forehead as she took off her scarf. "Tails DID pack a spare change of clothes just in case, right?"

"He should have." Sonic answered. "He's usually prepared for anything."

"True that." The dragon replied, unzipping her vest and slipping it off, revealing her shapely round breasts in a black bra, the breasts bouncing slightly from the release of the fabric.

"So... you sure you're a water dragon?" Sonic said, smirking. "I'm feeling kinda hot here, and I'm pretty sure it's coming from you..."

Sash giggled a bit, lightly punching Sonic in the arm. "Oh come on now! You really think we're gonna do that now?"

"Well, maybe not now, but..." He started, zipping close behind the dragon. "Maybe once we're done on our contracts here we can... I'd bet you'd like that..."

The dragoness giggled again. "Okay, I'M the dragon here. It's MY species that's supposed to be hormone driven, not yours." She said, turning around close, her chest pressing against Sonic's. "Though..." she whispered. "A session after this is all done would be nice..." She just finished her sentence just as the other three arrived on scene, Carol crossing her arms as she parked her bike.

"Aw dammit..." The wildcat spoke, getting off her bike. "They're still in their pants."

"Well, that sounds like a pay-up, am I correct?" Milla said, smirking wildly.

"Yeah, yeah..." Carol growled, digging her crystals out of her pocket and handing them to Milla, who then stored them in the back of her seat on the Tornado. "You just got lucky on this one..."

The basset merely giggled to herself, earning an eye-rolling from the kitsune and the wildcat as the kitsune dismounted from the plane.

"Wait, what's this about?" Sash asked, confused.

"Oh, nothing." Milla said, dismounting the Tornado. "Just a bet Carol made that you and Sonic would be getting it on with eachother or be done by the time we got here." She finished, earning a fierce blush from both Sash and Sonic.

"Say what?!" Sonic said, backing up a bit in embarrassment.

"M-Milla!" Sash blurted, earning a giggle from the basset. "I never thought you'd stoop that low!"

"Oh come on now," Milla spoke through her giggles. "You know I know you two better than that!"

Sash sighed, facepalming. " _Anyways_... we're here on a mission for investigation. That symbol I saw were on various structures around here at the lagoon when I first came here. If we check all around here, we might be able to get answers as to what exactly Corazon might be going after."

Tails nodded, pulling out a small cube with an odd substance in the center. "Alright, I've got an extra storage cube here for our excess clothing because of the heat down here. You guys go ahead and put your stuff in." He said, before taking off his flight jacket and putting it in along with Sash's vest and scarf, Sonic's jacket, Carol's scarf, and Milla's tanktop and sweatshirt, before Tails took the cube and stored it in his pocket.

Carol stretched a bit, showing her curves. "So, we all ready to go explorin' around here?"

Sonic nodded. "I'm ready. You Sash?"

Sash nodded, stretching. "Just stay with me. I know this terrain better than anyone else here." She said, and soon the five started walking off through the humid location...

* * *

"Hey, Sash." Carol said from her perch on a short stone tower, looking around, sweat matting her fur. "What exactly are we looking for on this investigation?"

"Anything I might have missed during my rush through here." Sash said, leaping up a rock face. "I was kinda in a big rush the first time I came down here to find that signal, mainly because of the Brevon Crisis happening."

"Oh, yeah, that thing..." Carol said, sweatdropping. "Still kinda hard to believe that thing was almost four years ago by now... I still remember the thing like it was yesterday."

"It's only natural Carol." Milla spoke, her eyes glowing green as her mind lifted up a massive boulder. "People do tend to remember traumatic events and emotional memories more than normal events happening in life."

Carol sighed. "Don't remind me..." She said, leaping off her perch and landing on the rock Milla was levitating before leaping onto the ground. "I don't exactly have fondest memories of that regarding what happened to our friendships..."

"You don't need to tell me twice..." Sash said, pulling herself up to the top of the cliff. "Any luck guys?" She called out.

"None so far." Sonic said from his cliff. "All I keep finding are those symbols on some of the architecture. Other than that, nothing."

"You havin' any luck Tailsy?" Carol called.

Tails shook his head, landing next to Carol. "Nothing. I thought getting a bird's eye view of the area might yield some answers, but I didn't see anything."

"Well damn." Carol said, stretching a bit. "This is gonna take a while if we have the entire damn lagoon to explore, isn't it?"

"Well, that's what we gotta do." Sash said, snapping her fingers before Pangu appeared. "Pangu, are there any other traces of dragon tech we might be able to investigate nearby?"

"Scanning..." The robot spoke, its center eye swirling like a loading symbol. "Scan complete. Sensors pick up a signature to the south of our current location."

"Looks like we're on the right track then." Sonic said, going up next to Sash. "We ready to head out?"

Sash nodded. "C'mon guys, let's go." She said before the five began walking off towards their designated location.

"So Sash..." Sonic started. "Why exactly did you come down here to begin with over four years ago?"

"What, here?" Sash said, stretching her arms behind her head, her curves accentuated. "Well.. it was after Neera had basically found me as a burnt barbecue outside of Thermal Base. They had taken me back to Shang Tu and then the Magister had admitted he was a fool for not believing me. He offered me the healing spas in trade for that I helped him with investigating where the metal component from one of the mechs I trashed earlier came from. They had provided the ride down for me and I went to investigating the area."

"How'd you deal with the humidity and heat down here?" Sonic said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "It's gotta be at least over a hundred degrees down here..."

"Simple. I dressed VERY lightly." Sash answered. "In all honesty, I only wore my leotard and a pair of sandals when I came down here the first time. That was enough for me to cope down here." She smiled. "Down here was originally where I met Pangu."

"Interesting..." Sonic said. "So Pangu is dragon tech?"

"Pretty much." Sash answered. "It's odd too. She looks like Syntax from build alone. But she is dragon technology through and through."

The robot drone nodded. "Approximate arrival time to the signal site: fifteen meters enclosing."

Sonic smirked. "Sounds good to me!" He said, before he and Sash took off ahead, leaving the other three in the dust.

"Here we go again..." Carol sighed, before the other three took off after them...

* * *

Soon enough Sash and Sonic skidded to a stop outside of a large stone doorway, encarved with two symbols on each door similar to that of the mark on the one assailant's armor.

"This where the signal coming from Pangu?" Sash asked the squid robot.

"Affirmative." The drone replied. "The signal is coming from somewhere deep inside there."

Sash nodded as the other three arrived on the scene. "Now, how are we gonna get inside there..."

"There must be a switch somewhere relatively nearby here..." Milla said, her ears lifting up a bit as she looked around. "There wouldn't be a normal door just sitting here with no handles and no way to open it."

"True 'dat." Carol said, putting a hand on her hip. "But where would there be a switch here?"

"Give me a moment..." Milla said, getting down on the ground and starting to sniff, crawling on all fours as she sniffed. Soon enough she got up and looked up, seeing a spiked outcropping surrounding a lever of some sort. "Well... there's our switch. How how do we get it..."

"I'm not gonna be able to fly up there and pull it." Tails said. "That space is too tight for me to fit."

"Hmmm..." Milla thought, before a lightbulb moment occurred over her head. "I think I might know how... let's see..." She said, looking for a small rock that would be heavy enough.

"What are ya lookin' for Ruff Stuff?" Carol asked.

"Oh don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Milla said, starting to unwrap her chest wraps. "You'd be surprised what living by yourself in the forest for a good chunk of your lifetime can do to your ingenuity."

"Riiiiight... and what does this have to do with you stripping?" Carol asked.

Milla rolled her eyes, finishing removing her chest wraps as her breasts bounced a bit from their lack of compression. "You'll see." She said, taking the rock and trying the one end of her chest wrap around it. Then, holding the rock, she drew her arm back before she lobbed it high... and managed to get it wrapped around the lever tightly. "Alright, now one... two..." Milla then pulled down hard on her chest wrap, which in turn pulled the lever down, causing the massive stone doors in front of the group to open inward. A massive blast of hot air rushed past the five, increasing the sweat on their faces. The basset smiled. "You see? Never doubt a hound's ingenuity!"

"Okay Ruff Stuff..." Carol said, rolling her eyes. "Just put your wraps back on and let's go. Even though it's just us, I'm pretty sure you don't need to flash yours all over the place."

Milla rolled her eyes. "Same old Carol, never fails to be unamused at what I do." She said, re-wrapping and compressing her chest with the wrap once again. "So, there should be something inside there, right?"

Sash nodded. "Hopefully. You guys ready?"

"You know I'm always ready." Sonic said, smirking.

"Ready here." Tails said.

Sash nodded. "Then let's see what's inside here..." She said, the five walking into the ruins...

* * *

"Holy crap... how deep does this go?!" Carol said, as the five descended deeper into the ruins. "Sash, was it as deep as this when you went into the section you went through back when you first came here?!"

"Damn near..." Sash said, looking at the murals on the walls. "The ruins are extremely deep down here... no doubt about it, there's gotta be something big down here."

"Hopefully there will be." Sonic said, stretching a bit as he walked. "These symbols across the walls around here are oddly familiar..."

Sash looked to Sonic. "How so?" She asked, a hand on her hip as she walked.

"I can't quite remember, it's been a couple years..." Sonic said, scratching his head. "But it definitely looks familiar..."

"Hmm..." Sash mumbled to herself, looking back ahead while Tails hovered above the group, looking around the area.

"These ruins are amazing..." Tails said, eyes darting around the massive expanse underground. "There's only places few and far between on Mobius that has ruins like these, much like the Mystic Ruins..."

Carol's tail swished behind her. "Seems like there's still parts of Mobius we haven't visited yet." She commented. "Might have to visit there on our free time."

"Yeah..." Milla said, her long ears twitching a bit. "Hey, Sash... was dragon tech used to guard the Kingdom Stone in its original housing in Relic Maze?"

Sash nodded. "Yeah Milla, wh-OOOF!" The dragon was cut short as soon as Milla had thrown a massive barrier, pushing the other four forward as she lept back right as a gigantic scythe had come down upon right where they were standing. Both Sash and Sonic soon got to their feet while Carol lept and grabbed onto Tails' hands as he was flying. Lumbering out the massive shadows, footsteps thundering with each heavy step, was a gigantic mantis statue, coated in crimson armor. It had merely taken one look at the group before letting out a gigantic roar that shook the cavern... accompanied by an annoyed groan from the hedgehog.

"Why?!" He yelled. "Why does it always have to be Slicers?!" Sonic groaned to himself. Metropolis Zone had already been hell enough with its unholy trinity of Badniks, now there were giant versions of them?!

"Slicers?" Sash asked. "The hell are those?"

"I'll explain later!" Sonic said, pulling Sash out of the way just as the gigantic mantis brought its one scythe down where Sash had just been standing. "We need to take this thing down!"

"I've fought one of these things before, I know how to deal with it!" Sash answered, before more booming footsteps occurred within the cavern. Sash had soon whirled around to see another large menacing mantis statue, also covered in the same crimson armor.

"Oh, you are KIDDING ME!" Sash yelled. "TWO Mantaliths?!"

"Need a battle plan here Sash!" Carol yelled.

"The arms! Their joints are weak there!" Sash yelled, dodging out of the way of a vertical slice, the blade getting lodged into the floor. "Just keep your distance for now! With two of them we can't get a lock on them!"

"How about this!" Sonic answered. "Sash, you and I deal with this one! Tails! You, Carol and Milla deal with the other one!"

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Milla yelled, her left hand glowing orange as she grabbed into the ground and yanked up a rock chunk. "Let's go guys!" She yelled, throwing the massive earth chunk at their respective statue. The Mantalith reared back, roaring before making a slash at Tails and Carol in the air. The flying kitsune dodged out of the way before Carol lept off of the grip of Tails and slammed her feet into the armor plating on the Mantalith's arm, barely even leaving a dent.

"These things are more armored than what we fought Sash!" Carol yelled. "Any idea how to bust these things?!"

"There's gotta be a way to rip that thing's armor off!" Sash answered, dodging out of the way of another slice. "C'mon Carol, use your head!"

A lightbulb moment soon occurred to the wildcat, and she got that reckless grin whenever she was going to do something dangerous. Soon as she had that smile, she immediately dashed at the large statue, quickly scaling the large armored beast, swinging up onto its head. "Let's see how these things fare against eachother!" She said, stabbing her katana into the top of the Mantalith's head, causing the beast to rear up and roar. "Time for some Mantalith boxing!" She said, shifting her katana forward and causing the Mantalith to ram into the other one.

"Good lord Carol!" Sash yelled, dodging out of the way as the path literally crumbled beneath her her and Sonic. "Watch where you're going! You nearly ran us over!"

"Sorry!" Carol said, wriggling her katana a bit and causing the gigantic mantis she was controlling to slash at the other, cutting into it's armor and exposing its arm joints. "Alright! It's open! Take out those arms!"

Tails nodded before setting his blaster settings to Force and Chaser, then firing straight from behind the stalactite he was behind, the energy bolts rushing from around the cover and colliding with the joint. "I've got it tracked! Sonic, Sash! Get the other arm!"

"Got it!" Sonic answered. "Sash! Rolling combo!" The dragon nodded before dashing at Sonic, grabbing his hand and spinning the two into a wheel and slamming through one of the arm joints, snapping it clean in half and smashing the second one as well, causing the arm to collapse off of that. The Mantalith roared as the second one collapsed on top of it, having Carol wrench her sword free and leap off as the two tumbled into the darkness below...

"Hey, a little help here!" Sonic yelled, both him and Sash grabbing onto the edge of the stone pathway. It didn't take long for Tails, Carol and Milla to rush over, helping their friends up.

"You guys alright?" Carol said, helping her draconic friend up.

"Yeah, think so..." Sash said, sighing as she regained her footing. "At least those things are down now..."

"Thankfully." Sonic said as Tails and Milla helped him up. "Hopefully now with that thing down we can actually move on in here."

Sash nodded. "I get the feeling we're getting close to finding what we're looking for down here. If we find another of those marks we saw, we might just get some answers."

"I hope so." Carol interjected, stretching. "I didn't override a Mantalith with my blade for nothing."

Sash sweatdropped. "Right..." She said, looking away a bit. "Let's go th-" The dragon was cut off as a loud roar echoed throughout the cavern, causing all five to freeze. Soon enough their thoughts were confirmed as one of the gigantic Mantaliths was now hovering behind the hedgehog and the dragoness on a pair of cybernetic thruster wings and mounted laser cannons on the sides of it, the beast letting out another roar.

Sash groaned. "Of course, it's never that easy..." She commented, getting into a fighting stance. "Get ready guys! We got a bogey we gotta scrap!"

"Don't need to tell me twice!" Sonic said, tensing up, before dodging out of the way of the blast the mech fired from its mouth. "Sash, you fought one of these things before! Is there any other weak points we should take note of?"

"The optical sensors on its head!" Sash said, dodging out of the way of another laser blast. "If we can smash those, it won't be able to track us! Let's nab 'em when its head drops down!"

"Got it! Spread out guys!" Sonic answered, having the five spread out to several separate locations around the ruined hall. The mech roared as it lowered its head, its mouth opening to spew flames at the group as it rushed from the cannon inside its throat. Sonic saw the opportunity and blasted forward, slamming a harsh kick into the side of the Mantalith's eye, cracks starting to grow on it. The large mech roared in pain before knocking Sonic backwards, causing the hedgehog to flip over before faceplanting on the ground before he got back up. The Mantalith roared before launching a missile barrage at the five, the group barely managing to dodge out of the way before it ducked down again, shooting off another flamethrower at them. Sash took the opportunity and curled into a Dragon Boost before blasting forward through the flames unaffected, smashing through the lens of the other eye, causing the mech to rear back in pain, roaring into the air before its chest opened up, showing some kind of crystaline power core.

"Only got one shot at this!" Tails said, setting his blaster to double Laser. He aimed at the core, clenched his eyes shut and fired...

...and the laser hit the crystaline core, shattering it into several large chunks. The mech roared as it soon crumbled into several chunks, falling back into the abyss below...

"Nice shot little bro!" Sonic said, dashing back over to the group with Sash. "Any longer we might have been well roasted!"

Tails had sighed in relief. "No problem Sonic..." He said, smiling a bit. "You guys alright?"

"Apart from me being slammed backwards, I'm pretty fine." Sonic commented.

"And I managed that Dragon Boost through the flames pretty well." Sash said, putting a hand on her hip. "Now that those are out of the way, we should be able to find out what's up with this place."

Tails nodded, picking up a bit of the crystal that was in the Mantalith's chest. "I'm still curious as to what was powering that thing though..."

"Let me see..." Sash said, picking up another piece of it. Of course, being an eastern dragon had its benefits; Sash sniffed the crystal a bit before taking a bite out of it, not being too affected by due to her species. "Let's see... a bit bitter... but it's definitely a rare-earth kind of crystaline quartz from what I'm tasting."

"Let me scan..." Tails said, taking a device out from his pocket and opening it up, setting the crystal onto the scan module. After a couple of minutes, the scan came back with the result, one that Tails didn't expect...

"Wait a minute... this can't be right..." Tails said, looking at the scanner. "How is this possible?"

"What's up?" Sonic asked.

"Sonic... this crystal is registering as a mineral on our world..." He said, looking up from the scanner. "Rare-earth Mobidionite... often used as an energy conductor in most generators at high prices..."

"Wait, then how is it here?!" Sonic said, confused.

"No clue..." Tails said, closing his scanner. "It'd literally be impossible for a mineral on our planet to get here normally..."

"Then I think we've got some extra exploring to do." Carol said, looking ahead. "C'mon."

Sash nodded, then the five took off deeper into the ruins...

* * *

"Where's this?" Milla asked as the five had soon entered a ruined room, the appearance looking more like a lab than standard ruins. "This doesn't look like the rest of the ruins we've seen..."

"Yeah..." Sash added, looking at some of the broken tubes. "This looks like it must have been a dragon tech lab, circa... a century ago, as a matter of fact."

"A century?" Carol asked. "Wasn't that around the same time your race landed here Sash?"

"They landed a couple years prior to that." Sash said, pulling a sheet off a machine. "They would have had several months to make something like this..."

"So, we having any luck finding whatever we're looking for?" Sonic said, checking behind a massive cabinet. "Cause I'm getting nothing."

"Not quite..." Sash said, the crystals on her chargers glowing a bit, allowing her to see easier. "There should be some information around here somewhere..."

"Yo Sash!" Carol said, holding up a headphone-like device. "Check out what I found! They look like your chargers!"

"Oh?" Sash asked, running over and taking the device from Carol, looking it over. "Yeah... these look more advanced than mine... and they don't look a day old!"

"I'm gonna hold onto these." Carol said, taking them back and putting them into one of Tails' cubes. "Ya never know, they might come in handy."

Sash nodded, before Milla barked to grab the group's attention. "Hey guys!" She yelled. "I found something!" The other four rushed over to find what looked to be a console with two separate round ports and a data drive connector in the center, next to a massive capsule with some kind of glass paneling on the top and bottom.

Carol whistled. "I've seen one of these before." She said, looking over the device. "Old draconic tech teleporter. This thing's really gotta be ancient. Supposedly they used these back during their times to transport heavy load to their bases that were allegedly across the continent."

"Man..." Sonic said, stepping inside the thing. "It looks big enough to fit all five of us! And then some!"

"Yeah..." Sash whistled, before Pangu appeared behind her, something about her seeming... different, than when she was outside the ruins.

"Mistress Lilac." Pangu spoke robotically. "The teleporter's main location is set to its designated spot of the Northern Aqualus Labs. Shall I initiate the teleport sequence?"

"Teleport sequence?" Sash asked, before something clicked. ' _The Northern Aqualus Labs are speculated to be the biggest abandoned dragon tech base on Avalice. No one's ever been able to get inside to actually see what technology was in there... this could work out well for us..._ ' She thought, smirking to herself before she nodded. "Yes Pangu, we'll take the teleport. Get it primed."

"The teleporter is already primed Mistress." Pangu replied. "I am just awaiting your step onto the teleporter."

Sash nodded, stepping into the teleport chamber with the others. "Alright, go ahead and activate it."

The robotic squid nodded, slotting the back of her robotic build into the module before activating the teleporter itself. "I eagerly await your return Mistress Kim Lilac."

Sash's face froze in shock for a second. "Wait, Ki-" was all that left her mouth before the teleport occurred, warping the five away...

* * *

A loud grinding noise echoed throughout the halls of the aquatic base before a massive drill pierced through the ceiling of a large room, sealing the sides to prevent any water from leaking in from the outside. The center of the drill soon opened up before three figures dropped out of the hole in the center, being none other than the group that had attacked Shang Mu earlier.

"Hmph, impressive feline." The visored figure spoke. "I'm actually impressed you had mechanisms to penetrate through bendezium alloy."

"Anything to get the job done, my lady." Corazon spoke, using the sickeningly sweet tone again. "If anything, my little greasemonkey assistant is the one to thank for that. I am but a humble servant and operator."

"Hmph!" The figure crossed its arms, annoyed at the feline's attitude..

"Apologies. I should not waste your time so lightly, my lady." Corazon quickly replied, bowing for a moment. "The way should now be clear. I've got some discussion to have with my assistant. I will be yours to command shortly. Now, if I am excused..."

The figure merely snorted, nodding before walking off through a locking hi-tech door. The instant she had left the room, Corazon dropped her guise. Though her expression and attitude was just as cold as always, she found herself frustrated. She felt surrounded by idiots. Which given there was only one she had to interact with, was one too many.

"S-s-so boss?" AAA asked. "What're w-we gonna do once we find th-that thing? Th-this base hasn't even been breach-ched in over a century! D-do we even know it's here? I-I know we got this under control but did you see my measurements of her strength?! We have nearly nothing that can- "

"Patience." Corazon interrupted, raising one hand, the only emotion that filtered through her nearly-monotone emotionless voice being supreme confidence. "Everything is falling into place. Now show me the readings."

AAA did so, prompting a cold smirk to appear on the feline's face. "Excellent. Now, time to find out if you were as smart as the history books said you were, Dr. Ucano..."

* * *

 _ **Things have heated up after our heroes' close encounter with the guards of Pangu Ruins, but now it seems like they've found what they wanted and are headed on their way. However, it looks like our villains have gotten there first. Will there be another encounter, or will they not have an unfriendly run-in? And what was with Pangu acting off and addressing Sash as 'Kim'? More answers will be revealed in Chapter 3: 'Underocean Activity'...**_


	4. Chapter 3: Underocean Activity

_**...**_

 _ **Sonic and Sash: Tides of Chaos 2  
Bad Bloodlines  
Act 1**_

 _Chapter 3: Underocean Activity_

"-im?" Sash had finished her statement as the five had warped into the teleporter in their new location, still wearing the shock she had on her face from earlier. She waited for a moment before thoughts had rushed to her head. ' _Wh-what?! I know Pangu is one of the oldest pieces of dragon technology, but how... how does she know her?!_ '

"Hey, Sash?" Carol asked, looking at her draconic friend with a bit of worry. "You okay there?"

Sash shook off her shock a bit, looking back at Carol. "Y-yeah... I'm fine Carol." She said, though it was clear something was eating at her. "Let's just keep going."

Milla nodded, before shivering a bit. "Ooohh... it's a lot colder in here than it was in the ruins..." She said. "Tails, you still have our clothes?"

Tails nodded, getting the cube out and activating it, the clothes popping out for the group. "Right here."

"Thanks buddy." Sonic said, grabbing his jacket and putting it back on and zipping it up. "Really appreciate the fact you had kept our stuff safe."

"Same here." Sash said, zipping up her vest and wrapping her scarf around her neck. "We all ready for an investigation?"

"Damn straight." Carol said, finishing wrapping her scarf around her neck. "I'm ready to find some old tech. Who knows? Might help with my engineering projects a bit."

"Yes, but you know why we are here Carol." Milla said. "We're here to gather information on what your 'sister' might be up to."

"Yeah yeah, I know." She said, annoyed. "Let's go now."

"Jeez, someone didn't have a good nap." Sash said, before she and the others headed off into the base...

* * *

Resounding smashes echoed off of the metallic door as AAA's mech's fists smashed against the steel door, making small dents but not really making any sort of progress, causing the small greasemonkey to grow more and more agitated.

"C-come ON, you d-damn piece of scrap door!" AAA growled, trying to smash the door harder. "What, is th-this damn thing made out of the same a-alloy that the rest of the base is made out of?!"

"Not precisely." The figure spoke, stepping forward, causing AAA in his mech to be brushed aside. "Allow me to handle this..."

"H-hey!" The monkey screeched, stumbling backwards in his mech. "W-watch the fine ma-machinery!"

The figure merely snorted, the tone of what little exposed skin there was changing from its azure blue to a dim orange before stepping back a bit and spun, gracefully slamming her tail harshly into the door, the metal crumpling with each blow as the figure slammed her tail against the door before the entire door caved in, ripped straight out of its hydraulic holds. The figure snorted as the door fell in as AAA sat in his mech aside, his jaw hitting the floor at what he just saw, frozen there... until he broke out into a mild panic attack as soon as the figure went inside the door, spouting gibberish so fast it was impossible to tell what he was even saying to begin with and flailing his arms so hard it looked like it was having a seizure.

"OHMYGODWHATTHEHELLISTHATDIDSHEJUSTCHANGEELEMENTWHATTHEFUCKTHISISNTSUPPOSEDTOBELIKETHISOHM-" was what the monkey had spewed out of his mouth before the feline had came up behind him and dope-slapped him across the back of the head.

"S-sorry..." AAA spoke, slumping into his mech a bit as the two then entered in after the figure, finding themselves in a room with a massive computer on the wall with a mainframe keyboard underneath it.

"Focus, greasemonkey. Focus and professionalism. This isn't a circus." Corazon spoke, her tone harsh for a moment before returning to its previous sweet feel as she turned to the figure. "Get into this computer's system and track down our mistress's little special 'weapon' would you? As awe-inspiring as she may be, we definitely should not waste our lady's precious time."

"Y-yes boss!" AAA said, hopping out of his mech and starting to type away on the computer. "P-pulling up Dr. U-Ucano's files right now..."

* * *

"Seems like this place is relatively intact for how old it is..." Carol said, looking at the walls. "I'm impressed how durable this place is..."

"It's made out of a Bendezium alloy." Sash said. "Second-most durable rare-earth mineral on Avalice, next to Avalitinite of course, which was mainly used in most combat mechs of their age."

"Huh..." Carol breathed, looking up. "Damn..."

"Hey guys!" Tails said, prompting the group to look over at him near what appeared to be a broken piping tube with some black liquid pouring out of it. "Look over here!"

"What'cha find Tailsy?" Carol asked, looking at the liquid.

"It's a type of metallic ferrofluid." Tails said. "I've read on this in Mobius history books; Magnetic ferrofluid was commonly used in creating mag-lev technology and is still used to this day in G.U.N. Beetle drones and levitating cars. Even our Extreme Gear had a bit of it inside it!"

"So we're looking at a liquid that can make things levitate?" Carol asked, putting a hand on her hip. "That's pretty awesome. Think we could use that a bit?"

"I'll take a sample with me. Who knows, it might come handy!" Tails said, getting a small sample of the liquid in a bottle.

"Hey, what gives?!" Sash said, trying to Dragon Boost up to a higher pathway but kept being pulled down by an invisible force. "What's going on with the gravity?!"

"It's more than likely that it's the ferrofluid." Tails answered. "That magnetic metal, in large quantaties, can have some devastatingly screwy effects on gravity."

"So... then how do we get up there?" Sash said, pointing to the higher ledge above the group, the metal staircase completely collapsed and destroyed. "We've got no way to get up there!"

"Hold on..." Sonic said, backing up a bit. "Let me try something..."

"Hm?" Sash asked, looking back at Sonic. The hedgehog took a running start before leaping up, being propelled from the screwy gravity before grabbing onto the ledge, pulling himself up.

"It's magnetic physics." Sonic said. "The faster speed you go at, the higher you'll be able to jump and gain height. That should make it easy to get up here."

"Alright..." Sash said, backing up before running at the ledge and leaping, slamming against the wall, her hands clawing into the ledge. "Owww... that's gonna feel in the morning."

Sonic helped his dragon love up. "You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah..." Sash said, standing up, dusting herself off as Tails flew Carol up and Milla flew up there with them. "Everyone here?"

"Present." Milla spoke.

Sonic nodded. "Let's keep going then." She said, the five starting to walk out of the room. But her thoughts were anything but clear; her mind was still racing as by what Pangu had called her. ' _How does she know of her?! Th-that should have been impossible! It should have..._ '

"Saaaash..." Carol said. "You're spacing out again..."

"Huh?" Sash said, snapped out of her trance.

"You okay girl?" Carol asked. "You're spacing out a lot now ever since we left the ruins..."

"Y-yeah... I'm fine..." Sash answered as the five continued deeper into the base, the dragon growing more tense...

"Oh shit!" Sash gasped, pulling the group behind a collapsed barrier. The other four ended up in a heap as Sash stuck close to the edge lightly peeking around the edge to see the familiar giant blue bulky robots; Obelisks. "Oh you have got to be kidding me. Here?! I had enough of these damn things back at Pangu Lagoon, why do they have to be _here?!_ "

"Ugh, what things?" Carol groaned, holding her head. "What's making you so..." The feline's voice trailed off as she looked around the corner before zipping back behind. "Nope. No. Uh-uh. No way. I dealt with enough of those things on the damn death ship Brevon had, I don't care to fight any more of those frikin' things."

"We we can't get around them any other way." Sash said, peeking out again. "We need a distraction. Anyone got any ideas?"

"Hmmm..." Milla thought out loud, looking up at the ceiling of the massive hall, noticing a piping filled with the black liquid pumping through it. She smirked to herself. "I think I might have an idea... just give me a moment..." She said, her eyes glowing a bit as she motioned her one hand, now glowing green. The pipe shuddered a bit before it disconnected from the ceiling, the psychic basset using her other hand, glowing orange, to gather the liquid into a massive ball, then using her other hand to close the pipe back up, the ball of liquid metal now floating above nearby.

Sash's eyes widened as she looked at the floating liquid metal orb behind them. "Oh good lord Milla..." She breathed. "I really hope you know what you're doing..."

"J-just t-trust me..." Milla stuttered through her concentration. "T-trying to focus..."

Sash and the others merely nodded as Milla moved the giant metallic liquid ball in the air near the three Obelisks swiveled to see the giant orb, their optics not moving from watching said orb.

"A-alright, let's go!" Milla spoke, getting up and slowly walking around the three Obelisks, the others following close behind, moving at a slow place to not make any noise...

...until Tails had tripped over an exposed pipe, causing a domino effect and causing the five to collapse into a pile, breaking Milla's focus and causing the gigantic orb to fall and splash on the ground. The three crab mechs swiveled around to see the group laying in a pile, somewhat irritated from the tripping, before Sash scrambled to her feet, putting herself between her friends and the Obelisks, a look of defense strewn across her face as she held her pose, arms outstretched to block her friends from the mechs. The closest Obelisk scuttled forward, glaring straight into Sash's crimson eyes, its optics merely a few inches from her face. The dragon's breathing tensed, holding her position to try and hide whatever trace amount of fear was hiding inside her as the mech in front of her stared her down.

Soon enough the mech's eyes flashed green and the Obelisk backed off before it turned to the other two. It seemed to have spoken in an untranslatable gibberish, and the other two seemed to nod before the three scuttled of in different directions, leaving the group baffled.

"Okay... what the hell was that?" Carol said, standing back up. "Sash, why did they back off when they looked at you?"

"I... I don't know..." She stuttered, backing up a bit. "It seems like they know me..."

"That would be highly improbable." Milla said, getting up and dusting herself up as the boys got up. "This is the first time we've been down here at all. Sash never said anything about being here before."

"Then what's with the boltbrains recognizing her?!" Carol countered.

"Uh, guys?" Tails said, indicating ahead of him at the large open drill crashed through the ceiling. "That might be the least of our worries..."

"Oh shit..." Sonic breathed, clenching his fists. "Dammit! They already got here!"

"Shoot, let's go guys!" Sash said, the five taking off past the drill...

* * *

"Th-there we go b-boss!" AAA spoke, taking the thumbdrive out of the giant CPU. "Th-that's all of Dr. Ucano's r-recorded logs a-and messages!"

The figure snorted, taking the thumbdrive from the monkey. "Well at least we have a general location of where the Bakunawa is now."

"And that's very fortunate for us my lady!" Corazon spoke. "Once the Bakunawa is back in your possession, Avalice is sure to fall to their knees for your mercy!"

"That's once we GET it." The larger figure growled.

Corazon bowed a bit. "Sorry, my lady." She spoke.

The figure growled again. "You're excused for now, but we have no time to waste. We need to move. Tea, how much time do we have?"

Corazon nodded, pulling out her golden watch. "We're ahead of schedule my lady. This will make up for the fact that w-"

"That what?" A voice said, a blast striking the ground at their feet. Corazon's head whizzed around to see none other than the group of five, Sash at the front, her fists clenched as she glared down the wildcat. The feline merely smirked.

The feline said nothing at first, checking her watch. Then she gave a confident smirk to the dragoness "Unfortunately, you're about thirty seconds too late. We've already got what we came for and you are kind of in the way of our illustrious mistress so... it'd be appreciated if you were to be removed from our plans. Permanently."

The large figure snorted. "AAA, dispose of them."

The monkey grinned, his left eye twitching as the arms on the sides of his mech morphed into flamethrowers, blasting the massive jets of flame ahead at the five. Mila quickly reacted and stomped her foot in front of her, the metal peeling up and blocking the five from the jets of flame.

"D-damn it!" Milla cursed. "With that monkey shooting fire all over the place, we w-won't be able to get through!"

The monkey howled with laughter. "Y-yeah! Not likin' it so h-hot when YOU'RE on the end of-f the Flambe!" He yelled, firing more. "Burn! Burn! BURN TO THE GROUND!"

"Oh my god..." Carol growled. "He did NOT just say that..."

"I think he did..." Tails said. "Dammit, I wish my blaster had a water or freeze setting..."

Milla growled, an angry sound ripping through her throat as she shoved the massive metal plate forward as hard as she could, knocking AAA in his mech backwards through the metal door on the other side as Corazon and the other figure had already passed through the door on the other side of the room.

"Gaaayaagh..." AAA groaned, his twitchy eyes swirling as he was upside down on his mech, before Corazon had grabbed his tail.

"No slacking greasemonkey!" Corazon said, yanking the monkey onto her back. "We need to move! Call the ship!"

"R-right!" AAA said, hitting a button as a second drill crashed through the ceiling above them, opening up into another passage that the three lept up before it closed and both drills wrenched out of the ceilings, dumping massive tons of water into the passages, flooding the base. Loud sirens sounded as the base alerted that water had broken through the path's tubings, causing large metal doorways to come crashing down, ending up sealing the five inside the moderately sized room.

"Oh, no, no, NO!" Sash yelled, slamming her fists against the steel door. "You are KIDDING ME!"

"Looks like Cory played us right into her own trap." Sonic said. "Now we're stuck down here, and judging by the fact that there's ten million gallons of freezing wet death behind both of these doors, it's probably for the best that we don't open them."

"Well that's beautiful." Carol deadpanned. "So this is how we're going out; sealed in a room several leagues under an arctic ocean with no supplies. Great."

"Well, there has to be some way out." Milla spoke. "Sash, shouldn't you be able to contact Pangu to warp us back?"

"I don't know..." Sash said, collapsing to her knees. "I don't know..." Sonic had soon walked over and kneeled down next to Sash, setting a hand on her shoulder, talking to her a bit as Carol soon turned to Tails.

"So, you got any plans as to how we're getting out of here?" Carol asked the kitsune.

Tails thought for a moment. "Maybe we can try to contact Pangu through the console here." He said, walking over to the giant computer and started typing away into the keyboard. "If I could track down its signature, I might be able to send a distress signal for it to warp us out of here and back to the ruins!"

"Well get that signal started man!" Carol said. Tails nodded before an electrical blast came from the screen throwing the two backwards away from the computer, slamming them against Milla and hitting the back wall. Sash and Sonic gasped before rushing to their friends, before a virtual figure materialized in front of the five slowly, a dark purple tint shown of the entire figure's body. The figure itself looked like a hybrid mixture between a dragon and a lynx, with what would assumed to be black hair and was wearing what appeared to be a midway between royal robing and combat armor. the lower half of the figure's body past its waist was nothing more than a pixelated mess, leaving the figure floating above the ground, its pulsating red eyes staring down the five directly.

"You..." The figure spoke coldly, glaring at Sash like it had a personal hatred reserved for her.

Sash glanced to her left and right before looking at the digital figure, indicating to herself. "Me?"

"Don't think you can act like you don't know what you did to me!" The virtual figure growled, grabbing Sash and lifting her off the ground. "I know what you've done to me; stopping me from putting your disgrace of a bloodline and the rest of your kind to an end!"

"The hell are you talking about?!" Sash growled, thrashing to try and escape from the virtual figure's grip.

"I know you're pulling your bluff Kim Lilac!" The figure continued. "You know what you did! I'm surprised you didn't even try to kill me after what I had tried to do!"

"I don't even know you!" Sash growled louder, smashing her feet into the chest of the virtual figure, causing her to let go of Sash, the dragoness landing on her feet as the figure floated backwards, a deathly glare in her eyes.

"You DO know me, you murderer!" The figured yelled, lunging straight at Sash, the hands electrocuted to shock her.

Sash froze up, fear gripping her a bit as the electrocuted hands came for her. "N-NO!" She yelled, rolling underneath the figure's lunge. "I don't even know what the hell you mean!"

"You lie Kim!" The figure growled. "For generations your bloodline has been so concerned with your 'purity', yet your family is the definition of being hypocrites! I can't even begin to fathom as to what the hell goes through your head!"

"How about what goes through YOUR head!" Sash yelled, curling into a Dragon Boost and slamming into the virtual figure, throwing her backwards against the wall.

"How about you pick on someone your own size!" Sonic yelled, slamming a SpinDash into the figure. "I don't know who you are or how you know Sash, but like hell am I going to let you hurt Sash!"

The figure rightened itself, glaring at Sonic. "Oh how cute! This heathen gives you a pet name Kim!"

Sash's eye twitched. "Pet name?" She growled, clenching her fists as she glared at the figure. "You. Bitch." She uttered from her throat as she hit the crystals on the chargers on the side of her head, her eyes glowing blue as she blasted forward in a True Dragon Boost, slamming straight into the figure.

"Gaaaah!" The virtual figure cried, being slammed against the wall and constantly wailed on by Sash... until the charger's crystals grew black, Sash's eyes dilating before she collapsed to the floor, twitching a bit as she passed out, her chargers going dim black. The figure growled, grabbing her by the neck and lifting the unconscious dragoness up.

"You really think that would work on me?" The virtual figure growled, seemingly constricting the dragoness' throat. "You tried that before and nearly killed yourself with it. What would make you think it would work now?" Sash didn't answer, just remained motionless and limp in the figure's grip, causing her to merely smirk.

"Hmph... just as I figured. Unable to reply from a crystal overdose." The AI spoke, now holding an electrical charge in its free hand. "Then I will enjoy finally defiling your bloodline and life..."

"Hands off my friend!" Carol yelled, slamming into the AI and causing it to release its grip on Sash, leaving the dragoness to fall to the ground in a heap as Carol constantly slashed harshly at the AI, her claws shining gold with each slash.

"Gaaaah! Get off me, you ungrateful furball!" The AI growled, launching the wildcat off of it, the feline colliding with the back wall and falling to the ground. It soon wasn't long before Sonic and charged up another SpinDash and slammed into the AI one final time before being knocked back. The AI screeched in pain as it heavily distorted, cries of pain and agony coming from its virtual mouth as it soon flickered out of existence, imploding into a pixelated confetti burst, flickering out of existence...

"Ahhhnn..." Carol groaned, holding her back. "Oooww... y-you guys okay?"

"I think so..." Sonic groaned, sitting up, holding his head, before noticing Sash collapsed on the floor. "Sash!" He yelled, rushing to the dragoness and scooping her up into his arms. "Sash... are you alright?"

"She's passed out." Milla said. "Carol, the crystal pacs."

Carol nodded, getting the spare crystal containers out of her pockets. Milla quickly unhooked the packets from either side of her chargers, tossing them away as Carol handed her the crystal packs. Milla inserted the pacs into the sides of the chargers, a small click indicating the pacs had locked into her chargers. The energy activated, shooting blue veins across her body, her eyes glowing blue as she screamed, arcing her back as the crystal energy flowed through her veins. Soon enough she had collapsed, breathing heavily as the energy caught up to her.

"Aaaagh... Th-thanks Carol..." Sash said, getting up.

"No problem girl." Carol said, helping Sash up. "Though... I'm a bit concerned by what that AI thing said. Why... did it recognize you as someone named Kim?"

Sash remained silent. "Uhh..." She stuttered, shrugging unconvincingly. "I dunno."

"Sash..." Carol deadpanned.

The dragoness sighed. "I'll... tell you later." Sash said, looking at Tails. "Think you can look into that computer's database and find some stuff out?"

"I think so." Tails said, typing into the keyboard. "I might be able to re-establish a link with Pangu through this..."

"Mmmmhh..." Sash thought to herself. "Actually, pull up any data files you can find." Sash spoke. "We need to figure out what Corazon and her goons were here for."

Tails nodded, resuming his typing onto they keyboard before a file directory came up, labeled with the respective folders:

=AUDIO AND VIDEO LOGS=

=PROJECT MERGA=

=PAST PROJECTS=

=CONTACT SIGNAL=

"Alright, main console is up and running." Tails said. "What should we check first?"

"Let's check the Logs." Sonic said. "There might be something in there we might be able to check."

Tails nodded, hitting enter on the option of the audio logs and opening up the list. Most of the folders were heavily corrupted and the names were completely destroyed from it, but among those stood out three names.

=PRINCESS CORDELIA=

=DR. IZAKA UCANO=

=KIM LILAC=

The second took Sonic and Tails by shock and the last took the five by massive surprise.

"D-Dr. Ucano?!" Sonic exclaimed. "How?!"

"Wait, you know him?" Sash asked, looking surprised.

Sonic nodded. "I met the good doc when there was a time incident around the South Lakes on Mobius. Eggman initiated a takeover from the inside by posing as him and nearly tried to bring the whole thing down as a dictator. If I hadn't shown up and cleaned house, things really would have gotten ugly, possibly erasing Mobius' future altogether!"

"Oh damn..." Sash breathed, looking back up the screen. "Wait... then what's he doing in the logs here?"

"That's what I'm wondering." Sonic said, scratching his head. "It wouldn't make any sense as to why he would be in there..."

"I think I have a better question." Carol said, pointing at the last name. "Sash, is this that 'Kim' that AI mistook you for?"

"..." Sash was silent for a bit before she sighed. "Yes..."

Carol seemed to relax a bit. "Well, that explains some things..." Carol spoke. "But why specifically your ancestor?"

"I don't know..." Sash sighed. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." She said, looking back to the monitor. "Open up the ones under Cordelia."

Tails nodded before clicking on the Cordelia audio files, opening up the first one on the list of four entries. No video feed was displayed, only audio was played.

"Audio log, Cordelia's diary." A young adult female voice sounded. "The... the doctors told me that I should record an audio diary. That it will help. I'm not sure how it would help but well, I decided to do so. So, hmmm, err, well..."

There was an audible pause and hesitation. "The doctors prescribed me a new medication. Apparently, it will help with my blood and help reduce the twitching in my hands. On behalf of the Magister, I gave a speed about the cooperation between dragons and the original species. Again, a member of the purity for dragons group tried to get on stage before being restrained. I really don't understand. He kept ranting about a name. Lilac, Lilac, Lilac, he kept yelling. I've read about them but... they abdicated the throne generations ago. Why? What's so dirty with my blood?"

"Anyway, I got my new medication. The doctors said that the inbreeding symptoms are even worse than my mother's. They tried to hide it but I have a feeling it's bad and that it may be connected to the headaches and my inability to use any draconic abilities. I don't get it. Why would I be inbred? Mom married a noble from an outer house just to be sure I would not be so. They even say that it's abnormal for dragons to have only one or two children. But pandas and other natives only have one or a couple of kids too. What's so bad about us not breeding like cats?"

"I've decided that I'll look up about dragon history. I'll show all those bigots who hurl insults at me and other half-breeds that we can live in peace. Yeah! I'll do it! Just as soon as my medication take effect anyway. My head is killing me and my hand begun to tremble. I'll take a break for now."

"End entry."

There was a long period of silence before Sash finally spoke. "This... This princess knew my ancestor?"

"That's not the only thing." Carol spoke. "That AI had the same voice, meaning that whatever that AI looked like, that must be who this Cordelia person looks like."

"Yeah..." Sash spoke. "She seems to have a problem with dragon purity..."

"What does she mean by that?" Sonic asked.

"Dragons... have an odd way of purifying their species bloodline." Sash spoke. "Dragons can't keep breeding with their own species or they'll suffer from genetic decay, essentially becoming less draconic and more lizard-like, separating from their species more and more. But on the other end of the spectrum, dragons can't outbreed with too many that aren't their own species or there's genetic decay that way as well. It's a very fine line to prevent a bloodline from reaching a genetic dead end and thus killing it."

"Damn..." Sonic breathed. "And from the sounds of it... this Cordelia hit that genetic dead end?"

"It sounds like it..." Sash spoke, looking at Tails. "Let's listen to the next entry, maybe that will help." Tails nodded, starting the second recording.

"Audio log, Cordelia's diary." The voice was angry this time. "It's not fair. It's not fair! It's not fair! What am I doing wrong?! Why can't dragons accept my speeches? Don't they realize how vital it is for our races to become one? The numbers of dragons when they came to Avalice were too low to sustain a population and they needed to breed with the natives to survive. Likewise, the blood of dragons brought so many benefits to this world's races. Half-breeds, like me, are the future. Why can't they understand how peace is vital?"

"I've been reading up dragon history and biology. It makes no sense. Dragon purity is apparently not like the purity of other races. I don't get it yet but with my condition worsening, I got plenty of time to read. Still, I found proof that half-breeds are the future! See, dragons, if they only breed among one type, will eventually decay and revert to a pure lizard-like form. In order to maintain their purity, they must actually integrate blood from other types of dragons and even other species, allowing them to adapt. See, see?! I am right! I AM RIGHT! And yet, they keep yelling at me!"

"I've read up on the Lilacs. In particular, met Kim, who spouted nonsense. She said I didn't understand! That what the nobles wasn't what I was talking about! Hmph! She claim to want peace as much as I do and yet, she call for dragons and the other races to be separate? She said she didn't say that but she totally did! I'll prove her wrong. I will."

"End entry."

Sash sighed. "It's just as I thought..."

"Sash..." Milla spoke. "She's making your ancestor sounding like nothing but a delusional..."

The dragoness shook her head. "Mother used to tell me I had a proud bloodline to be born into... my ancestor can't be insane..."

"I don't know about insanity... but I would have faith that she wouldn't be insane." Milla spoke. "Otherwise, well... you wouldn't be here."

"True..." Sash sighed. "Alright Tails, next entry."

Tails nodded, hitting a button on the panel, starting up the third recording.

"Audio log, Cordelia's diary." The voice was slightly ragged, with a tone that changed almost randomly, as if suppressing tears. "The doctors... the doctors..."

"They're saying I suffer from heavy conditions, that they've identified them and I don't have much time to live. They said I had only seventy years. Only seventy... as if this was a small number! I argued that it was normal but they said that dragons should live to four centuries at least, maybe even five or six." The voice became angry and embittered. "I DON'T CARE! It's better this way! It's better than outliving all your loved ones, all your family, all your... your children! I don't care about living for a long time!"

Her voice broke, rebecoming one shaken by tears. "I'm going to have a family. I'll be a good ruler. Better than the Lilacs ever were! Better than Kim ever would be! They know nothing! She knows nothing! I'm still growing, thanks to my half-breed blood. The shaking will disappear, the headaches too. I'm a symbol. I'm the future."Her voice heated up, the anger rising... "I'm the symbol of peace, of a better future for all of Avalice. Better the dragons and the other races! A superior race, one of peace and love. I'm not a defect! They are! They're just bigoted because I don't live as long! And who cares that I can't hold my breath for long, shatter walls with my tail or claws, or use any draconic abilities like the Dragon Boost? I don't need them! I'll show Kim! Her, her friends, those purity-obsessed idiots, and everyone else who look at me, my medication, and then think they're better than me!"

"End! Entry!"

Carol's ears seemed to be pushed back as she stared at the monitor in horror. "Oh my god... this girl was dying..."

Milla swallowed hard. "I-It definitely seems like that... but it also seems like her mind was eroding from her medication..."

"It shows..." Sash breathed, before nodding to Tails. "Last audio file." The kitsune slowly nodded, hitting the last button on the keyboard.

"Audio log, Cordelia's diary." The voice was... lifeless, cold, almost monotone. "I know the truth now. All of it."

A pause but no change in inflexion whatsoever. "I am sterile. DNA decay through generations of inbreeding has made me sterile. Like the Shang Mu royal line, my line is crippled due to breeding only among the limited gene pool of the nobility. But then, as I learnt, it does not matter. Dragons are a flawed race. They require an infusion of their own type periodically and yet, need to outbreed too. They can never be truly assimilated nor isolated."

"They call me a genetic dead end. The Magister worry about the royal lineage while Kim worry about me. Irrelevent. I now understand that as princess and ruler of Shang Tu, I can and will now decide the future of this world."

"Dragons cannot assimilate. They never will. They are a parasite race, unable to become half-breeds, stealing the blood of other races to improve their own. They are a leech upon the world, having created a great lie: the Three Kingdoms. Little more than a life support system they built for themselves."

"But I have come up with a solution. I have commissioned my scientists. The Magister has called me mad. Kim has called me mad. My cabinet has called me mad. The doctors have called me mad. I am not mad. I have taken their pills, two of which are new types designed to help clear up my mind. They have done their job. I even took four times the dose this morning."

"The pills have shown me the truth. They have given me wisdom, clarity. And I acted upon it."

"I will free Avalice from the parasites that are dragons. I have created the perfect weapon to achieve this goal. I used the royal treasure and hired the best bio-engineers in the world, tasking them with creating the ultimate being to carry out this holy mission. In a twist of delicious irony, the DNA of all dragon types were mixed to craft my creation. We call her 'Merga'. Her mind is clear, perfect, devoid of any concerns or emotion unrelated to her sacred mission. She shall carry out my plan."

"I will take the weapon the dragons brought to this world, the Bakuwana and with it, I shall purge the parasites that are dragons from this world and burn their so-called legacy, the Three Kingdoms."

A hint of emotion filtered in, a smug hint. "Kim may have argued to me that dragons and the other races can live in peace but I always saw through her deception. She is a hypocrite. She speak of purity yet she breeds like a wildcat, whoring herself to any male she encounter. Her bloodline was always filled with half-breeds who bred back in after stealing from other races their precious genes. A parasite, like all of her kind."

"She will probably try to stop me. They call me mad, after all. But I can see through their smiles and their fake words now. By the time they discover this audio log, my plan will already be in motion."

"This will be the final entry. I know it is only a matter of time before my plan is discovered, for what little good it will do them. Oh I wish I could live to see the culmination of my mission but well, unfortunately, my condition make that impossible."

"The march of time cannot be stopped. Justice will be enacted. The world of monsters created by the dragons will be extinguished. The dragons will be killed by the very weapon they created, at the hands of the very combination of all their genes. Once more, Avalice shall be pure and clean."

"Now, kindly fuck off, whoever you are."

The five just stood there, mere horrified looks on their faces from what they had just heard... but Sash was the one that seemed to have been hit the hardest, covering her mouth and slowly backing away, trying to keep the tears from running down her face.

"Ohm... oh my..." Sash breathed, trying to hold back her tears.

"Sh-she was trying to genocide... her own race on Avalice..." Carol breathed, almost unable to comprehend what she had just heard.

"But... she couldn't have succeeded... right?" Milla spoke. "I mean... we're all still standing here..."

Sonic nodded... before a concerned look marred his face. "She couldn't have..." He spoke, before turning to Tails. "Check Ucano's voice logs. Maybe there's something on those recordings that we missed."

Tails nodded, closing out Cordelia's audio folder and opening Ucano's. A good chunk of them were heavily corrupted, but four seemed to remain intact. Tails activated the first audio file. An image came up next to the audio player, showing the appearence of the doctor. The resemblance to Eggman was next to uncanny... well, if it wasn't for the fact that he was a toucan rather than human.

"Audio log, entry #437..." The voice spoke, male, sounding similar to Eggman's yet... it sounded a bit less gruff, but more somber. "Genetic process on creating Project 'MERGA' has begun. The DNA structures we're gathering seem very unstable, and its more than likely that this entire project could end up unwinding itself from a lack of genetic cohesion, but its by orders that we need to make this project become a reality."

A pause followed by a heavy sigh. "Kim is severely worried about the princess's mental state, thinking she's gone completely insane and telling us to cancel the project. I can understand her worries but sadly... she is not royalty we are forced to obey. "

"I worry about what our leader is thinking with commissioning a project this large. However, the safety of our own livelyhoods regarding this project is more worrying. There's times I wish where she hadn't come to power..."

"Well, it's soon I got back to continuing the projects with the other scientists. I will record more progress when something else comes up."

"End Entry."

"...this is terrible." Sonic spoke. "He and the other scientists were forced against their will to create this... this... whatever it is..."

"All under the fact that Cordelia would more than likely exile them if they hadn't complied..." Carol added. "Tailsy check the third recording." The kitsune nodded again, switching over to the third audio file.

"Audio log, entry #450..." The voice spoke. "Project 'MERGA'... has been completed. She will be cleared for launch with the Bakunawa within the hour."

"It is an unfortunate fate for what will become of Avalice. Most of the scientist believe that this world will die from the results of this war... it makes me regret not bringing the prototype for Kim to use against her..."

"We can only await to see what will become of this war. If Avalice dies... this will be my last entry."

A heavy sigh came. "I can only hope for Kim to pull through and stop this madness like her mother had back at the Sky Empire with the blue hedgehog... End entry."

"...well we obviously know that she succeeded." Tails said. "That's something."

Sash nodded. "Last file."

*click*

"Audio log, entry #489..." The voice spoke. "...the kingdom is up in a panic right now from the recent events that have unfolded. Kim had managed to stop the enraged outbreak of Cordelia using 'MERGA' to genocide the very beings that came to give help and life to the world and had destroyed the Bakunawa that was attempted to be used... and Cordelia had been detained. Her trial was set to be today... but it seems she had other plans. The guards went to her cell to bring her to her trial..."

"...it appeared she had not wanted to testify. They found her dead with a gunshot wound through the head, a lone revolver and an empty casing in her hand. From what we have interpreted, she had not stolen a weapon from anyone within the complex. We theorize there might be an outside source involved in her suicide."

"Kim is set to seal away Project 'MERGA' for good tonight. The power of the Kingdom Stone we had gifted the world will be used to solidify the seal on the prison. This nightmare may have passed... but I dread to think what will become of our world if she were to reawaken once again..."

"...end entry." There was a fizzle of static before the audio recording ended.

"..." The five remained silent, only the low hum of the computer filling the room.

"...damn." Carol spoke.

"She killed herself to prevent trial..." Milla spoke. "I can see why this part of Avalician history was forgotten or kept under wraps... if this got out, this would end horribly..."

Sash nodded slowly, taking all the information in, her fists clenching. "...Tails. Check the Project MERGA category."

Tails nodded, typing into the keyboard and having the screen switching over to the project files. What they found... shocked them.

Several DNA type modules and skeletal structure blueprints were laid out on the screen, arranged into a disorienting fashion most would be impossible to understand. Full draconic symbols adorned the schematics, covering them entirely. Tails hit the button on the console and flipped to the next page, filled with more schematics, this time filled with armor designs and other modules.

"Oh my god..." Sash breathed. "Project MERGA... was a lifeform?"

"Just like Project Shadow..." Sonic breathed, before noticing there was a third page. "Tails, what's on the next page?"

"Let me check..." Tails said, flipping to the next page. A three dimensional model of what appeared to be a dragon appeared on a base stand, not wearing any kind of article of clothing, showing its bare physique and build, also showing it was a female model base seen from the semi-ample bust on the front and its shapely, curved figure. Its finned ears were spread on either side of its bare head, and its skin tone was a light cyan. Something about her seemed familiar...

"Tails." Sash said, indicating to the armor option on the side. "Activate that option." Tails nodded, hitting the option and soon the figure was cloaked in an all too familiar armor...

"...no..." Sash breathed. "It can't be..."

Sonic clenched his fists. "Corazon reawoke Project 'MERGA'..."

"Wait... how is she gonna kill the dragons without that wonderweapon?" Carol asked. "Ucano's logs said Sash's ancestor destroyed it, right? It should be impossible to genocide the entire species at this rate!"

"Perhaps we might be able to get some answers under the past projects folder..." Milla spoke. "Tails, could you check on that?"

Tails nodded, typing into the console and going into the Past Projects Folder. Inside the folder were the following files...

=CREATION OF POLEM SPECIES=

=CREATION OF MAGNETIC FERROFLUID AND THE SKY EMPIRE=

=PROJECT BAKUNAWA=

"Yep, this is definitely the Dr. Ucano Tails and I met..." Sonic said, looking at the screen. "Alright, let's see that Project Bakunawa..."

Tails nodded, opening the project files... and the five nearly choked from what they saw. Strange, almost eldritch, nearly incomprehensible diagrams. At first, it seems to be a diagram of the Holodragon...

... but closer looks shows it's not an analysis of the Holodragon but rather, an incomprehensibly vast machine. The plans seemingly make no sense, with parts shown to be meant to rotate despite having no articulations, weapns systems aligning several segments of the machine, a massive cannon within the jaws of the machine, parts with sizes that vary from page to page, and what appears to be measurements for Chaos energy and elemental energy processing... but no slots for Chaos Emeralds.

But the page that show the whole machine...

"Oh ancestors..." Sash breathed.

The machine itself shown in scale, able to wrap around the entirety of the Sky Empire itself. The label under it simply read:

 _ **BAKUNAWA**_

"Th-that..." Sash breathed again. "That's... the Bakunawa?!"

"That thing looks like it could destroy a large continent!" Sonic spoke, wide-eyed. "If Corazon got her hands on that..."

"Sh-she could destroy Avalice! A-AND Mobius!" Carol stuttered. "Oh my god, is she insane?!"

"It's almost undoubtedly..." Milla said, her tone surprisingly calm. "But I may have a suspicion that this weapon, wherever it may be at its current moment... it was completed in Mobius's history."

"Then that means that if it wasn't the one that Sash's ancestor had destroyed, it's still back in storage on Mobius!" Sonic said, snapping his fingers.

"Then I don't think we have an instant to lose." Tails said, exiting out of the menu and was about to hover over the contact application before Sash stopped him.

"Hold up." The dragoness spoke, handing him a flash drive. "Could you download my ancestor's audio logs onto this? I'l listen to them later."

Tails nodded, inserting the drive and downloading the files onto it before ejecting it and handing it back to the dragon. "Alright, contacting Pangu..."

A few minutes of silence passed before a familiar robotic voice spoke. "Miss Kim Lilac, is that you?" Pangu's voice echoed in the room through the monitor.

"Yes Pangu." Sash spoke. "We need an evacuation out of our area. Requesting an immediate teleport."

"Request accepted." Pangu answered. "Please remain still..." Soon enough the five had disappeared in a flash of light, out of the abandoned base...

* * *

 _ **It seems the five now know the dark truth behind Avalice's history. With the dark secrets of Project MERGA and the Bakunawa revealed, time is of the essence. Who is going to reach the doomsday weapon first? Sonic and Sash's team to destroy it before it gets a chance to activate? OR is Corazon going to be one step ahead of them once again? The tides of fate will tell in Chapter 4: 'Blast to the Past'...**_


	5. Chapter 4: Blast to the Past

**_..._**

 ** _Sonic and Sash: Tides of Chaos 2  
Bad Bloodline  
Act 1  
_**

 _Chapter 4: Blast to the Past_

Soon enough the lights brightened inside the lab before the five re-materialized inside the ruined complex, Sash's feet being the last to ouch solid ground. The dragon sighed in relief now that they were out of the base.

"Glad that that's over..." Sash breathed.

"You're telling me." Sonic said, stretching a bit. "I think I'd call this investigation a success. Ready to head home guys?"

Tails nodded. "How about I drive you and Sash back Sonic?" He asked.

Both the hedgehog and the dragoness nodded. "I think I'd like that." Sash spoke, before Pangu removed herself from the console.

"Mistress Kim, is everything complete?" Pangu spoke.

Sash nodded. "We're done here Pangu." She said. "You can go ahead and warp back to base. We'll catch up in a bit." The squid drone gave a motion as a nod before warping out of the room, presumably back to the treehouse.

"So," Milla spoke. "I believe we have an objective we need to complete. We're heading to Mobius, correct?"

"Yes Milla." Tails answered. "We need to stop home first. We're going to need to prepare for our trip to the South Lakes."

Carol stretched a bit. "So how brutal are we talkin' about down there? We gonna need a whole bunch of Life Petals for this?"

"We likely should, just in case." Tails said, rehooking his blaster to his belt. "This _is_ your sister we're talking about."

"I know for her." Carol retorted. "I was meaning for anything else for down there."

"We won't know, but better safe than... well, dead." Milla spoke, starting to walk towards the exit. The others soon followed, Sash slowly plugging the flashdrive into her audio player and plugging in her headphones before the first log started, following the group back home...

*click*

 _"Audio journal... entry #1..."_ The entry began, the voice sounding a lot like Sash's only... a bit less developed. _"Uncle Ucano said that recording a journal would help relieve some of the stress from travel to finding a new home. I'm figuring that now would be better than any time to begin recording it..."_

A pause in the audio before it continued. _"Today was the day we left our old home of the Sky Empire to set out for a new home... I still don't know why mom had decided to stay behind and only send me. Is she fine living back on our old home planet? If so, why? I don't understand..."_

 _"...I really wish she had come with us. Uncle is fine, but... I really miss her. The other kids on here didn't try to make friends of me because of my blood relations... that it would 'get in the way'. I don't even know what that means. My blood relations? Is it something with my blood, or... is it something else?"_

A sigh is heard before what sounded like a light smack, presumably a face being planted into hands. _"I don't know what it is that keeps me from being separated from the rest of the kids on the ship. Is it because of me being a dragon? Is that the reason? I just don't know..."_

Another sigh was heard. _"I think some sleep might help me rest my mind. I don't know how long I've been awake on this ship ever since we left... I'll make another entry when I finish the day tomorrow."_

 _"End entry."_

* * *

"So let me get this straight, my lady." Corazon spoke. "The weapon in question we are looking for... is not on Avalice?"

"That is exactly what I am meaning my 'friend'." The figure growled. "The original model I had used was destroyed when I did battle with Kim many years ago. However, as Dr. Ucano's logs showed, there is still another one out there in storage. Granted, it is on the dragon's homeworld, so..."

"Wait," Corazon interrupted. "What was the name of this 'dragon homeworld'?"

"Mobius." The figure answered. "However, with how far away the homeworld is, we might need to look for another alternative in order t-"

"If I may, my lady..." Corazon said, bowing slightly. "Recent events in the past couple of years has resulted in the planet Mobius now overlapping atmospheres with this world. Traveling between the two worlds should be easy right now."

The large figure snorted. "If it's within our traveling distance then fire up the ship's engines." She growled, turning away. "I expect us to be there within the next day or so, so get to work on getting us moved there!"

"Yes, my lady." Corazon said, still bowing as the figure had left the room. The instant she had left Corazon's mood had deflated, not so much into her cold tone but... more so distressed, letting out a heavy sigh like she was exhausted.

"Greasemonkey..." Corazon muttered. "Go ahead and get the Sigwada set for autopilot to Mobius. Also contact Agents Krimson and Astron and tell them to keep a tight watch on their perimeters while we're gone. I... need to go calm my nerves a bit."

"I-is everything alright boss?" AAA asked, looking a bit concerned at Corazon.

"Y-yes greasemonkey..." Corazon sighed. "I just... I just need some time to calm my nerves." She said, departing from her room to her ship's cabin.

"A-alright boss..." AAA uneasily said, before turning to the comm unit...

The wildcat was gripping her head as she approached her cabin, pressing one of her hands to the pad next to it and having it scan her handprint before accepting her and the door opened to her cabin, the feline ducking inside before the door before it shut behind her. She slumped against the door, breathing heavily and stressed as she slowly sunk to the ground, sitting with her back against the wall with her face resting in her hands. She had remained there for a couple of minutes, quietly breathing into her hands before she ripped her goggles off of her head, tossing them onto the ornate carved desk nearby. Strewn about the walls were several maps of the continents of Avalice, old runic scriptures and writings that seem to have all been signed off with the same last name: _'Tea'_. A memory foam mattress on a hanging bedframe was against the far wall, a couple pillows on it and the cover on it thrown back, mostly on the floor of the room.

Corazon sighed, getting up and stripping off her clothing until she had only remained was her short black tanktop and black panties, before walking over and flopping onto her bed, letting out what had sounded like a defeated sigh as she looked up at the ceiling of her cabin, a visibly distressed look on her face. Sighing, she hit a switch next to her bed, a small microphone popping out of the wall above her.

"Tea journal... entry #436." Corazon. Though her tone was as cold as usual, the monotone was slightly broken compared to usual. As if she sounded... strained. "Expedition to the Aqualus Labs was a mild success, I guess. Greasemonkey's already getting the Sigwada space-worthy and is putting the finishing touches on the improved engine so that we may make the jump to Mobius to find Ucano's little wonderweapon. Though it is hard to tell, given his incessant, inane babbling. Speaking of incessant babbling, this is part of why the operation was only a mild success."

She sighed. "AAA got a few screws loose. In fact, he got many. But the patterns of his madness have always been useful to me. It is obvious now that he is starting to doubt that we can keep control of Merga. He is too easily awed by displays of brute force and I hope, I wish it will not affect what little rationality is within his enraged soul. But then, it is hard to tell what is merely eccentricity on his part and what is genuine madness."

A slight pause. "Everything is progressing on schedule. I am amazed at this point. Merga is more of a liability than expected. The constant posturing I am forced to do and AAA pretending to take orders from her is causing us unacceptable delays. We are constantly slowing down because the hypocrite's ego demand stroking or reassurance. Despite our healthy lead on my sister's ragtag bunch of misfits, I worry that Merga may end up doing something stupid and make obtaining Ucano's weapon difficult."

There was a long pause. This time, long enough to be noticeably incomfortable. The monotone broke again but this time, actual emotion seeped in. For a second, she almost sounded like... well, like someone related to Carol Tea.

"Coral's deathday is upon us." Again, she noticeably paused, collecting her thoughts and allowing her emotions to flow. She was so used to feeling empty and focused that she sounded almost confused, something that mimicked her current expression. "Carol is foolish for... no. No. That is not correct. She wasn't there. She couldn't have known. But then, it was predictable really. Actually, no. I'm talking from retrospective, it wasn't. It..."

"I probably should stop recording." Then she blinked. "What am I saying? This is the very purpose of talking to a recorder in the first place! Anyway,I've been reminded of Coral's final stunt again. It was just like her."

"She always knew that the mission took priority. I guess... I could always reveal what happened to her. But every time I consider it, I remember that the circumstances would have exposed too much. Far too much. Our world do not need those wounds opened. It would be an insult to Coral's and Carol's efforts. As much as this world is filled with idiots, they gave it a future. I can't take this away from them. I just can't."

She stared at the wall for a moment... "I just... I... I someday just wish that I hadn't been there. The stupid lizard. That hateful, good-for-nothing, addled lizard blaming Spade for something he had no control over. He couldn't do anything, it was all her."

"... what was I thinking that day? Why did I break my professionalism? What could I have possibly done? All that me rushing to the scene accomplished was allowing me to be there when she slammed into the ground. And now, my nightmares won't. Leave. Me. Alone. About it! I know she was probably burnt up to death from the long fall and was already dead by the time she hit the ground and yet, my mind keep imagining her screams and the thud of her remains hitting the ground. I keep wondering if it hurt when I know the answer. And I keep hearing that lizard blaming Spade over it and dragging my sister into that nonsensical exile of hers!"

The monotone completely and utterly cracked. For a moment, she found herself screaming. "AND OVER WHAT?! NOTHING! What do she think ninjas are?! Freakin' super heroes?! Do she think we get a zany narrator ending the episode on a cliffhanger when we get into a potentially lethal situation?! Do she think we're only tasked to eliminate cartoony bad guys in flashy outfits? How could she grow that mentality despite being raised by the Red Scarves and mentored by my sister herself?! And why... WHY did my sister follow her? She should have known this was a moment where friendship is unreliable! She should have known better! She should have."

She adjusted herself and took a deep breath in. For nearly half a minute, she just reined her emotions back under control and when she spoke, it was once again nearly monotone. Nearly so was the keyword, as she allowed herself some measure of emotion compared to her initial monotone.

"Carol will see reason. The family will see reason. The dragons have long ceased to be relevant. They are now a chain that constrain us. Avalice has moved on. We no longer need them. Our society no longer need them. Yet that foolish lavender lizard went out of her way to once again rub the fact that our civilization was uplifted in our faces. She juuuust had to do that. And now, despite the fact that both my sisters gave to all those fools the very future they're enjoying right now, they keep praising DRAGONS for it!"

"This is unacceptable. This is completely so. People are enslaved to the dragons' legacy. We were almost destroyed by it. Merga was born and is doing her foolish schemes because small-minded fools can't think for themselves outside of what long dead lizards told them!"

"But it won't be an issue for long. Once I have the Bakuwana, I will fix this issue. Permanently. And I will do it the way Teas does it. By reshaping the future and enforcing our will upon history. Merga will be a footnote in history, if she even remain a thing once I am done. That foolish lizard got no idea. She thinks strength is power. I will show her, I will show everyone what true power is. And then, things will be right."

She paused and realized something. "Oh. I am starting to repeat myself. I guess that was all of my thoughts for the day. Well, I better stop talking to myself and end this recording. End entry."

With this said, she ended the audio recording and turned her back to the wall. As she begun to drift into sleep, she begun to relax. She had never noticed she was so utterly tense, so stressed. But then, she had been so for so many years, it just was normal to her.

* * *

The sound of tires over gravel slowed to a halt as the five soon returned to the treehouse. Carol had soon driven up and parked her bike right next to the group.

"Alright guys, get what we need for this trip." Tails stated, setting the buggy into park and waiting for everyone to get out before shifting it back into the plane mode. "Once everyone's ready, we'll be heading out to the South Lakes. Everyone clear?"

"Yeah buddy, just give me and Sash five minutes, okay?" Sonic said, walking to the ladder to the treehouse. "We shouldn't have too much to grab."

Tails nodded. "Alright. Just be quick about it." Both Sash and Sonic nodded before zipping into the house, with Milla scampering around the backside of the tree.

Carol sighed. "Well, this might take a bit..."

Tails nodded. "Yeah..." He said, looking up. "I am a bit curious... why did you grab that set of chargers back in the labs?"

"What, these?" Carol said, taking the headset out of her bag. "I was hoping to get a chance to do some deconstruction on these when we got the chance to. Though, with the trip to Mobius... that's gonna be delayed." She said, putting them back into her bag. "Ah well, at least I'll be able to do some interesting deconstruction with them once we're done!"

"Yeah," Tails smiled. "Guess so." There was a bit of silence before Carol spoke again.

"So, our planet's atmospheres are still overlapping, right?" Carol asked. "That's how we got there last time."

"They should be." Tails answered. "Remember, thanks to Eggman our worlds came together in the first place."

"True that." Carol said. "At least that's the ONLY damage that happened. I mean, could you imagine how crazy it would have been if our worlds MERGED?"

"Pffft, get out of here with that!" Tails laughed. "That's crazy! There's no WAY that could happen!"

"I know, right?" Carol laughed with him, and soon the two were laughing with eachother for a bit before the others came out.

"What're you guys laughing about?" Sonic asked as he had approached them.

"Oh, nothing much, just a silly thought." Tails replied. "You guys ready?"

Sash nodded. "Ready." She said, climbing onto the wing.

"One sec!" Carol said, getting her bike tied onto the plane. "Okay, all good!" She said, hopping onto the plane.

"Ready." Milla said, getting onto the plane in the far back seat. "I've got several extra packs of Life Petals just in case we need them."

"Given Corazon?" Sonic said, hopping onto the other wing. "We're gonna need them."

Tails nodded. "Alright, ready for takeoff in three... two..." On the invisible one Tails activated the Tornado and soon the five took to the skies for the South Lakes on Mobius...

* * *

The gleaming blue waters sparkled across the large scale lakes as the large ruin island floated overhead the larger lake, an elevator shaft from the southernmost point of the island reaching up to the topmost area of the ring-like highway around the ruined metropolis floating island. A large city rested on both the east side and the west side of the southern lake, a large train terminal residing on the top of the northern lake with an ancient castle off to the east. A red biplane was flying above the lakes, five familiar figures in it...

"This is it guys! Welcome to the South Lakes!" Tails yelled over the rush of wind as the plane was over the larger lake. "We're gonna make a landing at my other workshop near West City! Keep a hold on to your seats!"

"Eh, it's all appreciated little buddy, but..." Sonic yelled, smirking. "I think Sash and I will take the direct route!"

"I agree to that!" Sash yelled in agreement. "We'll meet you guys down there!"

"Wait, what are you-" was all Carol got to say before both Sonic and Sash leaped off the plane, getting caught by the wind as they started freefalling towards the ground. "-doing... are you freaking..."

"Are they going full reckless mode?" Tails asked.

"Yep." Carol replied bluntly. "They just leapt off the plane."

"...for god's sake..." Tails muttered under his breath. "We'll meet up with them at the workshop."

"Uh... you sure that's a good idea Tailsy?" Carol asked.

"Carol, I'm sure the two will be fine." Milla spoke. "Remember, Sash tore apart a spaceship with her bare hands. I think she can handle this."

Carol shrugged. "Ruff Stuff I hope your clairvoyance is right about that..."

* * *

"Woooo!" Sash cried out as the two entered freefall as they plummeted towards the ground. "This is awesome!"

"You having fun over there?" Sonic yelled over the rush of wind streaking past the two.

"I haven't felt an adrenaline rush like this in so long!" Sash answered, feeling the wind rush past her skin, a small tear coming out of her eye. "I love this!"

Sonic smirked, moving closer to her. "You never skydived before?"

"No!" Sash answered. "I never had a chance to!"

"Well, looks like you're getting a chance to!" Sonic said, grabbing onto Sash's hands and the two rocketing downwards, reaching terminal velocity.

"Woooooooo!" Sash squealed, before realizing something. "Hey Sonic! You have a way of slowing us down right?"

Sonic nodded. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing!" He said, flipping around and started carrying Sash in his arms. "You trust me, right?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then hold on!" Sonic replied as he soon clicked his heels together. Jet thrust fired from the soles of his shoes as green flames erupted from them, causing the two to start slowing their falling velocity as Sonic soon swooped downwards in an arc, flying through the trees at a breakneck speed before Sonic turned sharply, using the thrust from his shoes to slow them down before he landed, the dragon still holding onto him in his arms.

"I held on..." Sash breathed, grinning. "And I don't regret it."

"Heh, well thank you for flying Sonic Airlines!" The hedgehog said, setting Sash down on her feet, prompting a giggle from the dragon before she looked around.

"So... these are the South Lakes?" Sash asked.

"The one and only!" Sonic replied. "Well, technically two since there's two lakes here..."

Sash giggled a bit. "So, where's Tails' workshop in question?"

"Well from where we landed..." Sonic said, looking at the surrounding terrain. "We're currently on the west side of Wild Wave Zone, which, if I remember what Tails had said where his workshop was..." He spoke, looking north. "It should be up near West City, just north from here."

"Well, doesn't seem too complicated." Sash spoke. "I will say though, this place really does give me some Avalice vibes though..."

Sonic shrugged as the two began walking. "Well hey, what can I say? I guess this is Mobius' little 'slice of Avalice'." He commented.

"Pffft." Sash giggled a bit. "Oh come on."

"What?" Sonic asked, shrugging. "I'm not lying am I?"

"I never said you were." Sash answered. "Either way, w-" The dragon was cut off as a loud explosion sounded off from the city, a column of smoke rising from the area. Without any words exchanged, both Sonic and Sash took off for the city...

* * *

 _Earlier..._

"S-so... these are the South Lakes?" A voice asked in the middle of the bustling crowd of the large city, belonging to a small ten-year-old cream-colored rabbit with orange accents on her ears and around her brown eyes, an orange tuft of her hair peaking out in front a bit, freckles adorning the bridge between her eyes above her white furry muzzle. A pink scrunchie tied the base of her ears at the back of her head, well complementing her pink shirt and lavender overalls with pink knees and and front pouch. A light blue scarf was wrapped around her neck, now slightly being held there partially by her only flesh and blood arm, her right one. The most disturbing thing was the fact that her left arm and both her legs were robotic, a gleaming metal shine coming from them, her robotic arm only having three robotic fingers. "Why... why are we here again?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The older figure next to her said, an aged 16 and well-endowed pink hedgehog, her arms and legs clearly showing they were toned a bit from exercise she had done. Her outfit was of a white ling-sleeved sweatshirt with a red cross across the front and a red hood with red forearms and a red lower border, accented by the black form-fitting shorts and the white and red boots with a black top and golden ring on the front. she wore a red beanie cap that rested back a bit with a heart button on the right side, and her long back spines had been fashioned into a ponytail. A large red-and-yellow hammer was slung over her right shoulder, a small red crystal at the base of the long orange handle. "Yearly check-up around here. Gotta make sure Eggman doesn't have his robo-chronies running around the place."

"Why would he?" The rabbit asked. "Didn't we junk most of his bots a couple years ago?"

"We did." The hedgehog spoke. "And part of that is also the reason why we're doing all of this to begin with. Gotta make sure our world is safe."

"But... why us?"

"Cream..." The hedgehog sighed. "Sonic and Tails haven't been on Mobius for over four years since that other planet appeared in the sky. Someone's gotta take up the reins while they're gone."

"True..." Cream said. "It's almost kind of surreal to live in a world without Sonic, huh Amy?"

"Darn straight." The hedgehog replied. "Someone's gotta buck up and take place, and since Shadow and Rouge are to busy with G.U.N. work, and the Chaotix are busy on their own fronts, we're the only ones left."

"Yeah..." Cream sighed. "I just wish it didn't involve me nearly losing all my limbs..."

Amy sighed. "Cream, that was my fault." She spoke. "If I was faster I would have been able to get you out of the way."

"I'm not blaming you Amy..." Cream spoke. "It just... feels weird having half my limbs robotic..."

"I know..." The hedgehog said, sighing, before her ear twitched from under her hat. "Hm?" She said, looking up, before seeing a familiar red biplane flying high above the area.

"Hey, Amy?" Cream asked. "I-is that..."

"That's gotta be..." Amy spoke. "It's gotta be them!" Though soon the two were interrupted as a massive mech landed right behind them, causing the civilians in the surrounding area to scream and flee in panic. Amy sighed in frustration as she twirled her hammer into a fighting stance, facing the large mech.

"Of course... of all the bad timings..." She growled. "Cream, I'm gonna need some back up here, mind lending me a hand?"

"S-sure thing Amy!" Cream spoke up, tensing up. "Let's take this thing down!"

The two had then rushed forward as soon as the mech had opened fire on them, letting out a massive slew of energy bullets at them. The two split up as soon Cream took two strides before her legs kicked into the ground, the hydraulics launching her into the air before she formed her robotic hand into a fist and collided it square on with the mech's outer shell, leaving a large dent into it before she springed back, landing on the ground. Cream backed up a bit before seeing the mech launch off a large missile straight at her, sights locked on. The rabbit gasped before leaping back, the missile exploding on the ground right in front of her.

"A-Amy!" Cream yelled. "This thing's got armaments! What should we do?"

"I think your arm can grab one of those things!" Amy yelled. "Try grabbing one of those missiles it spits out!"

"Got it!" The rabbit answered as another missile was launched at her. Cream leaped and her robotic arm extended, grabbing the missile and crushing the thruster on the back. "Alright! Where do I put this?!"

"Up top!" Amy answered as she leaped up the mech. "There's a weakness area I know of at the top of this thing! Bring it up! Quickly!"

Cream nodded, using her legs to leap up to the top of the mech with Amy. Soon enough her metallic feet skidded across the top of the mech as she stopped.

"Alright, right here!" Amy indicated with her hammer. Cream nodded before slamming the missile through the weak plating on the top. "Here goes!" She yelled, before swinging her hammer above her head and slamming it down into the top of the missile, shooting the thing downwards into the mech. A slight pause lulled before a massive jet of fire burst from the top, prompting both Amy and Cream to get off before the entire top half of the mech exploded, sending billowing black clouds of smoke into the air. Amy skidded on her feet a bit from the landing, looking back up at the mech, seeing the large billowing smoke cloud coming off it.

"Alright, that did some damage..." Amy muttered to herself, clutching her hammer tightly. "Though that thing could still be a threat. Alright, focus Ames, you gotta-" She was cut off as a whirling ball of blue and purple soon busted through the machine, splitting it in half and causing the wreckage to come crashing down.

"...or just let that happen, okay. That's fine." She sighed, pinching her forehead, before seeing a familiar figure, causing her to smirk a bit.

"Well, welcome back... Sonic the Hedgehog..."

* * *

"Shoot... you think Corazon's already gotten here to tear things up?" Sonic said as they looked back at the wreckage of the gigantic mech they had just plowed through.

"I don't think so..." Sash said. "Corazon would have had her mech armed with actual lead bullets. These ones look energy based, meaning it wasn't one of hers."

"Huh..." Sonic breathed. "Then why would one of these be out here if it isn't Corazon's?"

"Not sure." Sash answered. "It might have been one of Eggman's mechs running around..."

"That's EXACTLY what its been for the past three years." A voice spoke from behind the two. Both Sonic and Sash turned to see Amy and Cream behind the two, Cream looking gentle yet confused and Amy with a semi-warm smile.

"Long time no see, Sonic." Amy spoke, strapping her hammer onto her back.

Sonic smirked. "Heh, never thought I'd hear you say that Ames."

"Well, when you disappear for nearly three years, of course I'm gonna notice." Amy said, a slight hint of sadness in her voice. "Where the hell did you go? A good chunk of us thought you had died from that Chaos Control you threw on that Eggman satellite!"

Sonic shrugged. "Oh come on Ames. You really think something like that can kill me when I'm Super?"

"You really think I don't worry?" Amy retorted.

"Touche." Sonic spoke.

"Uhhh... I'm not interrupting anything here, am I?" Sash asked.

"Nah, you're fine." Amy said. "But... here's not exactly a good place to have this conversation. Food court?"

"Sounds fine by me." Cream said. The others nodded before the four headed off to the food court plaza. Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched by an elder figure in the distance...

* * *

"So... you're a good friend of Sonic's?" Sash asked as she and Amy waited at the table as Sonic and Cream went to get the food.

"Long-time." Amy replied. "Been around since I was young and I met him near Never Lake."

"So I'm guessing you've known him for... most of your life?" Sash asked.

"About... six years ago, actually." Amy answered. "Actually, hold on. I don't think you introduced yourself."

"Oh! Right, my bad." Sash spoke, extending her hand. "Sash Lilac."

Amy smiled. "Amelia Rose. Just call me Amy." She said, shaking the dragoness' hand. "So... I'm guessing you met Sonic already?"

"Met him?" Sash asked. "More like spent three years of my life with him ever since he and Tails joined my group family."

"...so, he's been in a relationship with you?"

"That..." Sash started, looking confused. "...that's kind of a large leap in logic. I mean, yeah, Sonic and I have been on a couple extra dates between our contracts we take..."

"...I see." Amy said. "Now normally, if this were over four years ago, I'd have gone into a massive immature fit over you stealing Sonic, but..."

"What, what do you mean?" Sash asked, confused.

"Y'see, I used to be a massive fangirl of Sonic." Amy said, leaning on the table a bit. "One that would constantly chase him down in what seemed like futile attempts to marry me. Any thoughts of another girl getting with him would usually set me off hard, but..." She spoke, looking down a bit. "I guess him disappearing for almost three years kinda set off a flag in my head about what I need to do; to move on. I mean... heh, I can't just spend my entire life chasing about fantasies that more than likely won't come true, can I?"

"Well no, but-"

"Hey look, you being with Sonic?" Amy said. "I'm fine with it. I... pretty much grew out of it in the years he disappeared to your world."

"I mean... I didn't mean to steal him away from you-" Sash started before Amy interrupted.

"Hey, you didn't 'steal' him." Amy interjected. "He chose you to be the one he wants to spend his life with. I'm not gonna try to tear that down."

"...okay, I guess." Sash spoke.

"Hey, don't feel down." Amy said, a warm smile coming on her face. "You found the one."

Sash smiled. "I guess so." She spoke as Sonic and Cream came back with the food; a plate of chilidogs and cheeseburgers along with fries while Cream carried the four root beers in their bottles, setting them on the table.

"Jeez Sonic!" Amy laughed. "When I had suggested the idea of lunch, I didn't mean an entire feast!"

"Well hey, what can I say?" Sonic said, taking a seat. "Mercenary work pays off!"

"You're a mercenary?" Amy asked, taking one of the burgers.

"Yeah, he told me all about it!" Cream said, also taking a burger. "It's REALLY cool! He gets paid for taking out criminals and doing some investigations, as well as what Tails does with mechanical repairing and manufacturing!"

"Wow..." Amy said. "Never thought you'd be the one to take up a job Sonic. Are you SURE you're the same blue hedgehog I met over six or so years ago?"

Sonic laughed. "Come on Ames, at least give me some credit where it's due!"

Amy smiled. "True... I guess I can't really fault you saving our world. OR managing t establish peace between the two worlds for TRADE routes to take place. Then again, overlapping atmospheres can do that to two sister planets..."

"Darn straight." Sash said, taking a bite of her chilidog.

"So, Ames," Sonic said. "What's up with Cream's cybernetic limbs?"

Amy froze a bit. "Well... it was about a year after you left..." She started, before looking at the rabbit. "Cream, do you want me to tell them?"

"Sonic's our friend, Amy." Cream answered. "I think he deserves to know."

Amy nodded, before continuing. "Eggman took up another base residence off mainland, and Cream and I went to take care of him before he did any real damage." She sighed. "Unfortunately, we hadn't found out until it was too late that he had set up a complete self-destruct mechanism and ended up blowing the entire base to kingdom come, forcing me and Cream to evacuate immediately. We had barely gotten out of it before the whole place went up in a bloody explosion you could've seen from Emerald Coast. I managed to survive relatively unscathed, but Cream..." She stopped, cringing a bit. "If it wasn't for cybernetics, Cream would have died that day... she lost both her legs and her arm was heavily mutilated... I'm just still thankful she was alive, I couldn't bear knowing the fact that I would have basically killed my own best friend..."

Sash fell silent. "I know that feeling all too well..." She muttered under her breath.

"It's been... difficult... trying to adapt to my new arm and legs." Cream continued. "I mean... not being able to feel things in your feet or on one of your hands, it... would kinda drive someone insane... I guess hanging around with Amy all the time kinda takes my mind off it."

"Yeah..." Sonic said. "I'm sorry that all happened to you Cream. I mean, if I knew I would've come..."

"It's water under the bridge Sonic." Cream answered politely. "Either way... where are the others? Didn't you say you guys were heading to Tails workshop he has here?"

"There you guys are!" A voice said before Tails, Carol and Milla ran up to them. "You guys had us worried sick after we couldn't find you at the workshop!"

"Well..." Sonic started, scratching his ear. "Giant killer death robot. You can understand, right?"

The three sweatdropped.

"Either way, chilidog?"

* * *

"Seems like it's been ages since we've talked to eachother, hasn't it Tails?" Cream asked as the seven were walking to Tails workshop.

"You're telling me." He replied. "Sorry about what happened to your arm and legs..."

"Its fine..." Cream answered. "So! What are you guys here for?"

"We're here on a contract." Sonic spoke. "We got a rampant sociopath out on the loose looking for a weapon of mass destruction."

"Again?" Amy asked. "Alright, what's Buttnik after this time?"

"It's not Eggman." Carol responded. "It's my sister."

"Well, that's gotta make family reunions awkward..." Amy commented before being dope-slapped by Carol.

"Hey, keep the sarcasm to yourself right now." Carol growled. "She's not someone to be taken lightly. She's a highly trained and skilled assassin with a body count higher than any other criminal we dealt with. She MEANS business."

"Duly noted." Amy muttered, rubbing the back of her head. "So, where's she gonna start looking for this thing?"

"We're thinking around this area here in the South Lakes." Milla spoke calmly. "We've traced the weapon location to somewhere around here, so we need to locate it and destroy it before she gets a chance to use it."

"Well, that makes sense." Amy commented as the seven reached the workshop. Tails took his keys out of the pocket of his pants and unlocked the door, opening in up and flipping on the lightswitch inside. The walls were adorned with several mechanical creations, a large computer console near a large portal device with what looked like an empty slot open in it. Judging from the dust, it hadn't seen activity in at least five years...

"Ahh, home sweet shop." Tails said, walking in and heading over to the main computer, powering it on. "Alright, let me just get the tracker set up..."

"Tracker?" Milla asked.

"I want to try locating the weapon's location in this world first." Tails spoke, accessing the scanner option on his mainframe's console. "If we can see where it is in this time period, we might be able to get a better bearing on where it might be when we go back into the past."

"Whoawhoawhoa... hold the phone right there." Carol said. "Since WHEN was going into the past part of the plan?"

"It's almost gonna be a necessity at this point." Tails spoke. "Now let's see..." He spoke to himself, inserting the bottle of the ferrofluid he had picked up earlier into the machine. "If from what I saw of the schematics earlier, the machine would make prime use of this... so if I re-route it into tracking down where it would be..." A large red blip soon showed up on the map area on the northern east side of the island. Tails smirked.

"We've got our location!" Tails said. "Now to calibrate the portal..."

"And... exactly HOW are we gonna travel back in time?" Sash asked.

"She's got a point Tails." Sonic added. "We don't have any sort of Time Stones that we could really insert into there."

"Hehe... that's why I made extra sure I held onto this!" Tails said, pulling out a brown feather with what looked like blue glowing veins.

"A... feather?" Carol deadpanned, sweatdropping. "Aaaand... how exactly is that gonna help us?"

"Tails..." Sonic spoke. "Where did you get that EGGATS feather?"

"EGGATS?" Everyone else in the room aside from Tails asked.

"Long story." Sonic said.

"Either way, I found this feather when I was setting up shop down here." Tails spoke, setting it into the empty slot on the portal. "Because this actually has temporal properties, a little modifying and..." He said, pulling the lever, the portal activating and opening up a green wormhole. "Boo-yah! One instant ticket to past Mobius!"

"Gotta commend it to ya Tailsy, you really have a lot goin' for ya inside that head of yours..." Carol said, soon up right next to him before she whispered into his ear. "Maybe a little 'reward' is due when this is all over..." Tails blushed profusely, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Right so, you guys ready?" Sonic said, getting in front of the portal.

"Ready." Sash agreed, causing a smirk to appear on the hedgehog's face.

"Well then," Sonic replied, charging up a Super Peel-Out. "Let's rock!" He said, before he and Sash rocketed forward into the portal, followed by the others...

* * *

 _Several hours later..._

Loud, quick rapping soon echoed on the cabin's metal door, causing the large green wildcat to instantly roll into a ready position. Noticing no one was inside and that the noise wasn't someone trying to force their way in, she sat up in what rumpled clothing she still wore and silently cursed before speaking.

"This better be important!" she said, showing quite a bit more emotion than usual. Mostly due to shaking off the effects of sleep.

"B-b-b-boss!" A familiar voice came from the other side, causing Corazon to facepalm and groan internally. "I-I got some news!"

"I am listening." Her voice was back to its usual stone cold, emotionless tone.

"W-well... got some good news and some bad news." He said. "The bad news is... well... we found the weapon... but its c-completely inoperable and irrepairable. Th-there's no way that thing's f-flying this day and age."

Corazon found it suddenly difficult to keep her cool. AAA is mad and one part of madness was that his standards for machines that are broken beyond repair are much, much lower than any sane person's would be. He could look at completely broken machines in a scrapyard, declare them operable, and then refurbish them from almost nothing. So for him to state that the weapon was beyond repair, it must literally be made of more rust than metal. If it's not completely reduced to dust by now.

Still, she kept herself cool. She is a professional, after all. Even if the good news are inane, she may be able to salvage this.

"W-we found what appeared to be a fractured shell of some owl robot thing n-nearby, and it's feathers are emitting some temporal distortion!" He said. "I-If I can modify one of our main c-cannons, I-I can use part of th-that husk to create a t-temporal portal gun th-that can send us b-back to when i-it was operational!"

Corazon's eyes lit up. She expected inane good news. This? This made the bad news completely and utterly irrelevent. In fact, it is even better than if she had found the weapon intact and operational!

"I recommend you get started on the project immediately." she said, her tone nearly as monotone as usual, giving no hints of what her thought process had been regarding those news. "Oh and produce several prototypes. Just in case."

"Y-yes boss!" AAA spoke before scampering was heard moving away from the door. Corazon waited a moment before she curled back up in her cabin's bed.

Soon enough, Corazon found herself drifting off again...

* * *

 ** _After a reunion with old friends, the five now head back to the glory age of the Sky Empire to track down the Bakunawa. But with Corazon hot on their heels, the tension is hotter than ever. Will Sonic and Sash be able to get to and destroy the Bakunawa before Corazon gets her dirty claws it, or will this spell disaster for them? Find out next time in Act 1's finale, Chapter 5: 'An Ice Cold Reception'..._**


	6. Chapter 5: An Ice Cold Reception

_**...**_

 _ **Sonic and Sash: Tides of Chaos 2  
Bad Bloodlines  
Act 1**_

 _Chapter 5: An Ice Cold Reception_

* * *

Cold. Frost. Snow. Those surrounded the past area where the seven were sent as the portal cracked open and they were spat out into, Sash slammign into Sonic and the rest ending up in a dogpile in front of the massive portal. The sky was darkened as if it was night, a light snow falling from the skies.

"Unnngh... owww..." Sash moaned, sitting up, holding her head in pain. "I-is everyone else alright?"

"I-I think so..." Sonic said, sitting up. "I think that time traveling did the trick. It certainly feels like we're back in the past from the snow..."

"MMmmmmhh..." Carol groaned, shaking as she got up. "J-jeez, did your p-planet go through global warming? Wh-why is it so cold here?"

"It's part of history." Sonic spoke. "The South Lakes went through a massive cold period during the Sky Empire incident. It's gonna remain like this until the incident ends."

"So... judging by that gigantic black goo of death covering over that floating island up there, I'm assuming it's still going on?" Amy asked, pointing to the sky above to the small-moon-sized floating island above them.

Sonic's eyes widened. "The time travel must have taken us back to during the time when I was still taking Eggman down!" He said. "I feel like we should be in the clear right now, but we need to get a move-on. The longer we're dawdling the sooner Corazon's gonna find that weapon."

Sash nodded. "Yeah, let's get going." She spoke, before the group took off. "The sooner we destroy that weapon, the sooner this is all over."

"One more thing." Sonic said. "If you guys see my past self at all, do NOT make contact with him. Any contact could interrupt events and overly change the future." The group nodded before they continued on...

* * *

The feline yawned, stretching in her cabin's bed as she sat up, rubbing her eyes as her tail slowly swished behind her. She let out a muffled yawn as she got up, standing up and stretching her figure before she reached for her clothes, making sure they were spotless as she put them on, only leaving her normal pilot's jacket off as she made her way towards the bridge of the deck, punching in a number on a console next to the door before the door opened to the bridge, the wildcat slipping on the jacket as the door opened.

"B-boss!" AAA said as he jumped from the seat he sat in. "I-I wasn't expecting y-you to be here s-so soon!"

"Focus, greasemonkey." Corazon spoke. "Now, our newest discovery. Explain. Briefly and concisely."

"R-right boss!" AAA stammered, hitting a few buttons on his console and causing a massive hole to open up in the floor, a large pedestal holding what appeared to be a split brown orb with cracked optical lenses and an odd triangular beak, as well as the two large veiny brown wings wrapped around it, some of the feathers still shimmering a bit with a few glowing blue veins.

Corazon stared at it. Its shape was odd to say the least. She noted it mentally and decided to not comment upon it, waiting patiently for AAA to begin his explanation. Hopefully, he will go straight to the point.

"W-well, my scanners picked up a massive amount of temporal energy infused inside this thing!" AAA said. "With just a quick modification on the main cannon's power source, I'll be a-able to draw power straight f-from this thing, concentrate its effects, a-and project it a-as a concentrated beam that'll rip open th-the fabric of time itself!"

Corazon was silent for a while, thinking it over. "It is ready for a test fire?"

"Ab-absolutely, boss!" AAA spoke, hitting some more buttons on the console in front of him, retracting the mech itself into the ground. A charging sound was heard from under the Sigwada, the massive main cannon on the bottom taking aim and firing at the airspace. A large blue beam struck the airspace in front of them, ripping open a massive tear in the skyline in front of them.

"Well, it seems to be working perfectly." Though her tone was just as cold and emotionless as usual, if one listened very carefully, one might feel the hint of smug satisfaction in her voice. "Is it calibrated to the correct time period?"

"Y-yep!" The monkey saluted. "E-exactly one century i-into Mobius's past!"

"Perfect." She spoke, as she walked to her pilot's chair and sat down. "I want you to create a large portal, one large enough for us to use. It is time to expand our range of exploration."

"Y-you got it boss!" AAA said, before initiating the Sigwada to move forward, having it go through the time rift before it closed behind the ship...

* * *

A diamond dust was kicked up behind the group as they made their way across the snow-covered land towards their destination. In order to pass the time of the journey, Sash had plugged in her headphones again and listened to another audio file left by her ancestor.

 _"Audio journal, entry #56."_ Kim's voice spoke, sounding a bit more bitter. _"It's been almost six years during our FTL travel through space trying to find us a new home. Six whole years of me being stuck on this tin can trying to find a new home. I swear if it wasn't for the fact that Ucano is basically keeping me sane because I have someone to talk to, I would have lost my mind at year two."_ A light sigh was heard before she continued. _"It's my first day trying out these new... 'Chargers' prototype that Ucano had fashioned. They seem like they function properly, but... these headaches... they hurt..."_

A coughing was heard before she continues. _"Ucano said that these chargers would extend my energy for longer than what I'm capable of... he always said my mother was worried about the fact I have issues staying awake like most of my kind, hence why she had commissioned Ucano to make these for me. I thought this would help, but... these needles piercing the sides of my head, injecting this crystal energy straight into my bloodstream... its hurting my head so much..."_

A visibly distressed sigh was heard before she continued. _"I just want to get off this wretched tin can and actually feel ground beneath my feet instead of a massive empty void of blinking dots. It's driving me insane on how long we've been out here just trying to look for a home... maybe some sleep will help rest my mind, but at this rate, I don't know... End entry."_

 _*click*_

Sash kept to herself a bit as the group continued on towards their destination, that was, until Sonic spoke to her. "Yo, Sash, you alright?"

"Huh?" Sash said, snapping out of her state. "Y-yeah, I'm fine... just listening to more of my past relative."

Sonic smiled. "What was she talking about this time?"

"Well..." Sash said, looking down a bit. "I know where my family gets the charger use from..."

"Charger?" Sonic asked, confused.

"These." Sash indicated, pointing to the titanuim headphone-like accessory attached to her head. "This runs in my family. It's used to inject crystal energy into our bloodstreams and enter this kind of 'psuedo-super' or 'bullet-time' state, like time slowing down around us and being able to manuever through what most things would be impossible for normal people. There's one drawback though... it only lasts for thirty seconds, after that, I pretty much drop out cold."

"Ouch." Sonic said. "And there's no other way to try and get around that side effect?"

"Nope, unfortunately." Sash said. "It's why Carol has to be on me at all times with extra crystal packs for my chargers; otherwise I just become dead weight."

"So, that's why-"

"They put those packs into my chargers back in the Aqualus Labs?" Sash finished for him. "Yes. Otherwise I more than likely would have been in a coma for a couple good hours."

"Mmmhh..." Sonic breathed to himself as the group continued on. "And I'm guessing it's too late to go back, huh?"

"Way too late." Sash answered. "These have been in my head ever since I was in the Scarves, since I was eleven."

"Eight years?"

"Yeah..."

"That's... damn." Sonic spoke.

"I really didn't want to bring this up right now since we're in the middle of a crisis..." Sash spoke. "Sorry."

"It's fine Sash." Sonic spoke. "Water under the bridge. Let's just focus on what we need to take care of right now; stopping Corazon and Merga from getting that weapon."

Sash nodded, soon noticing the snow was falling a lot less than usual... in fact, their scenery around them had completely changed into a forest-like area, with some of the pathways made out of stone they were running across jutting out of the mass of leaves around them. "Hey Sonic, where are we anyways?"

"Well, in present day Mobius this is where Foliage Falls would be..." Sonic said. "I never really had a name for this place in the past."

"Hmm..." Sash said. "How close are we to our destination Tails?"

"We're just over halfway there!" The flying kitsune said, looking at his map radar. "The Old Castle's coming right up upon us! Once we're there we can start searching!"

Sash nodded. "Then let's keep going!" She said, before hitting up another audio log on her mp3.

 _"Audio log, entry #73."_ Kim's voice spoke again, but it sounded... a lot more happy than last time. _"We made planetfall three days ago. We made planetfall! Thank goodness! I was so siiick of being on a starship! Six years, six whole years we spent trapped in that tin can! But we finally made it. A planet, we're finally on a REAL planet!"_

A light pause before continuing. _"Whoever tell you that artificial soil is the same as natural earth is a liar and deserve a tendril to the face. They have no idea how stuffy it is inside a ship. I've been able to run, to REALLY run! They have no idea how good it is to feel the wind, to feel the world all around me. The scientists are unsure if this world is fully suitable for our long-term survival but frankly, screw them. For now, I'm on a planet and it's the best feeling I ever had in my life. Beside, what do they expect, really? said that the chances of finding another world like this one without travelling longer than I'll be alive are slim to none and given how long dragons live, this is saying something. So yeah. I'm off that tin can! Off of it! Real, non-recycled air and water! Oh thank goodness..."_

Her voice regained some measure of composure. _"Hmmm... anyway. I probably should speak about what happened to day. I met one of the locals while I was out there. Some wildcat calling herself 'Bail Tea'. Dunno why she insisted on calling herself a 'wildcat' in particular. Housecats and wildcats are pretty much genetically identical last I knew and well, she don't look like much of a tiger to me. I think her family is trying to sound tougher than it is. Which reminds me, the locals have the most stupid and awkward ways of seeing things ever. Honor this, honor that, not being allowed to do this because honor this. And then apparently the entire family being punished and being seen as dishonorable because one distant cousin stole something. Why not just judge people by their actions? Why do things this way? I really, really don't get why they do things the way they do. Apart from that, she seemed fine... if you exclude how she insulted my honor, and my bloodline, and my lineage, and then called me a dirty egg-laying pea-brained snake, and told me I was I couldn't be less of a proper lady if I tried. And then said none of us understand our place in the world or something. I kind of stopped listening after forty or so consecutive insults."_

A disgruntling sigh is heard before she calmed down again. _"Either way, Ucano said that Cordelia Senior is planning to send out a scouting party to investigate the surroundings. Apparently, the locals are suffering from an energy shortage. They apparently hit the lottery jackpot when it comes to bad luck, with almost all of the planet's ressources being only accessible with higher tech, causing a generalized starvation crisis accross all of their civilizations. Likewise, Ucano warned our 'great' leader that our population, while sustainable for the medium-term, may face long-term extinction without a more diverse gene pool. Cordelia, the princess one, is starting to go off about tangents about how dragon hybrids are the future and are the obvious solution to that problem. Given her known genetics problems, I'm not sure more dillution is the solution. Especially given that unless I misunderstood Ucano, I think she kind of missed completely what he was trying to say."_

Another sigh. _"I'm still not sure about Cordelia Senior's rule and I don't like the fact that she's grooming her grand-daughter to be the successor. When we got on the ship six years ago, I remember my mom telling me that while the Cordelias were more fit for ruling a starship, that they would open up elections on arrival to our new homeworld, which would likely result in me getting the throne again. I'm not sure at this point. When I tried to talk about how losing draconic purity might be bad on the long-term and how we should be more careful before trying to integrate with the locals, everyone took Cordelia's side. I mean, are we even sure this is the right world for us? And don't they get how much we could damage the locals' culture if we just forcefully integrate ourselves in their society without being careful? Or how they could be dangerous to US? That 'Bail Tea' girl was just a peaceful peasant girl apparently but when I implied I didn't want to be an obedient housewife, she looked ready to gut me like a fish and called me names for a hour straight! I just... I mean... I'm not a bigot! It's just... just..."_

One last sigh, this one defeated. _"... how long is this entry anyway? I guess talking to you, diary, makes me feel better. I guess. At least you're not insulting me. People have been doing that a lot lately. I... just... End entry."_

* * *

A portal had soon ripped open the fabric of time above the ancient snow-covered castle, the large ship pushing out of it into the airspace above, coming to a hover stop above the castle itself.

Corazon activated the Sigwada's auto-pilot feature and then turned to the monkey manning the auxiliary systems. "Is this where the Bakunawa has been traced to greasemonkey?"

AAA checked the various scanners' readings a couple of times and then lifted up his goggles, grinning in a feral manner as he turned to the feline."Y-yep boss! Th-the signal is picking up from under us, meaning it'll b-be a straight shot d-down to get it!"

Corazon's response came instantly, her tone not changing one bit. "Excellent. Start the excavation drills."

"R-roger!" AAA answered, typing something into one of the consoles, leading to several large, house-sized triangular drones attached to their undersides detaching from the Sigwada and dropping to the ground below, shaking the ground briefly as the slammed into the surface. The drones quickly fragmented, deploying large spider legs and most importantly, massive industrial-level drills and started to burrow downwards into the earthen crust.

At that moment familiar footsteps were heard before the doors to the bridge opened, Merga storming in. "Corazon, what is the meaning of this?!" "Ah, my lady!" Corazon said, her cold and emotionless expression turning to a warm smile as she got off her seat and bowed respectfully, her tone now full of life and sweet. "You're just in time! The excavation process on the Bakunawa has begun."

The figure's eyes narrowed dangerously. "And what exactly gave you the idea to start the excavation without notifying me first?"

Corazon faked out flinching in surprise, her eyes widening in perfectly acted fear and realization for a moment. Then, she bowed again, stuttering slightly as she spoke. "A-a misconception on my part, my lady. It's just that I thought that you'd want your weapon as fast as possible and since you were out training-"

Merga approached the feline silently and interrupted her rant by snatching her by the neck and squeezing. She lifted the feline and glared straight into her eyes, her expression murderous as the cat struggled in vain. The dragoness glared openly at the wildcat for a good while and then, spoke slowly and threateningly. "Do you think this is some kind of vacation trip? Do you think this is a joke?" For emphasis, she squeezed slightly harder. "This operation is a vital part of my plans. I shall head there personally to oversee it. If you displease me again, I will use you and your ship as targets for the Bakunawa's weapon test. Am I clear?"

She then thrown the wildcat into her seat hard before walking out. Corazon sat there, massaging her neck until the inner scanners of the Sigwada indicated that the dragoness had departed for the surface.

"Are you okay boss?" The line was filled with far less concern than one might expect from AAA. After all, he was a sociopath. He didn't really care about anything, really. He was just making sure. And it suited her just fine.

"Idiot." she said, her tone completely cold. Wildcats have scruffy necks, a holdover from their feral ancestors, making them difficult to strangle. If you're going to threaten anyone, put a claw or a blade by the artery or a gun by the head's side. Neck lifts are for amateurs. Of course, she got more important concerns. Such as making sure that by going down there, that idiot lizard didn't just ruin everything. So she addressed AAA.

"Did you adjust the drones' friend-or-foe recognition protocol?"

"I-I at least have half a brain to make sure th-they are!" AAA retorted.

"Good." With that said, she was thus free to focus on the task at hand. She got off her seat, cracked her knuckles, and left the room to deal with another issue, leaving AAA on his own. The monkey remained there, just manning the various consoles and generally overseeing the rather surprisingly dull process of drilling down when he noticed a bunch of blips on the radar. His left eye begun to twitch madly and he thrown himself out of the main deck, heading for the hangars and toward his latest combat mech. As he boarded his invention, he activated the radio. "B-boss! W-we got a code red!"

"What is it." Corazon's anwser was short, clipped.

"It's th-the dragon and your sister!"

"Irrelevant. The drones should be nearly done by now. Still, make your way down there and keep them busy, just in case. And make sure the other lizard do nothing stupid. I want no problems, do I make myself clear?" "P-perfectly clear, boss!" AAA answered before closing the radio channel and then deploying his mech.

* * *

"There's the castle!" Tails said, pointing ahead at the massive castle ahead of them.

"And it looks like we're running out of time!" Carol said, pointing above to the floating airship. "Sis already has a lead on us! We gotta get the Bakunawa trashed before they get it up and running!"

Sash nodded. "Sonic, you've been through here before. Where would the Bakunawa be located?"

"No clue." Sonic answered. "It's gotta be deep though, so we're gonna need to take a route I took through there. You guys can keep up?"

Sash looked directly at Sonic. "Did you forget I'm a dragon?" She said, smirking. "I think it's high time we show them up!"

"N-not on my watch y-you little BRATS!" A voice yelled before the large circular mech slammed the ground in front of them, piloted by a familiar crazy monkey. "B-boss has big plans in store, and u-unfortunately for you seven..." He said, a twitch in his eyes and the large hands on the sides of the mech morphing into large gear-shaped sawblades. "You're on the b-blacklist!" He screeched, firing off both sawblades at the seven.

"Break formation!" Sash yelled, before the group broke off away from the sawblades... except for Cream, who seemed to stay on course with the blade.

"Cream!" Amy cried. "What are you doing?!"

"Trust me!" Cream replied, her robotic arm forming into some sort of pronged catcher. "I know what I'm doing!" As soon as the first sawblade got close, Cream shot her robotic arm forward, snatching the sawblade inbetween the prongs of the forked arm before twirling around gracefully and releasing, sending the sawblade flinging right back at the second one, the two coliding and shattering from eachothers hard metallic surfaces.

"O-oh! Wh-whirling Saw ain't slicing you down to s-size?" The monkey shrieked as the arms of the mech reformed before they grabbed into the sides of the mech, ripping them open and revealing what appeared to be two separate generator nodes. "M-maybe a little taste of the Z-z-zip Zap oughta give ya some b-burns!" He screeched, charging up large electric balls in the spaces that the arms pulled out before firing them off, the orbs zipping along the ground along with a bounce.

"Incoming!" Tails yelled, dodging out of the way of a blast.

"Tails!" Sonic yelled. "Sash and I will take care of Corazon! You guys handle the monkey!"

Tails nodded. "Just don't get yourselves too banged up! We're running low on Life Petals!" Sonic nodded before he and Sash took off inside the castle.

"Heads up!" Carol yelled as she deflected an incoming orb with her katana. "Dammit, you got any ideas Tailsy?"

"Let's try throwing those orbs back at them!" Tails answered. "That should give us enough time to close in for an attack!"

"One step ahead of you guys there!" Amy said, whacking an electric ball with her hammer back at the crazed monkey. "Let's just hope that Sonic and Sash get that thing down before it gets unearthed!"

"I hope..." Milla muttered to herself as she threw a Phantom Sphere at AAA...

* * *

"Drones, report." Merga growled as she viewed the excavation site where the Bakunawa laid. One of the drones scampered up to her and reported.

"Cockpit excavation, 78%." The drone responded emotionlessly. "Completion estimate, 15 minutes."

"Good." Merga growled. "And make sure no damage comes to the weapon itself. I want it intact for what I have in store..."

"Complying." The drone replied before it flew back to the excavation site. Merga looked back over the large site itself. "Hmph, you were a wise bird for burying the Bakunawa, Ucano. However," She grinned. "You really couldn't help hiding the weapon in a place that would be so painfully obvious. It's like you had WANTED this to happen..."

She suddenly turned her head to see Corazon standing nearby. The annoying furball had arrived... surprisingly quickly and silently. More than a furball should be achieve. Well, no matter. She'll hear it out. "My lady." Merga looked condescendingly at the feline as it bowed to her, like it should. "My greasemonkey had informed me we are running out of time. The dragon girl and her comrades are on their way, and-"

"That's all I need to hear." Merga growled, stepping forward towards the unearthed cockpit. "They won't last for long once this is fired up."

"My lady, I heartily recommend that-"

"Enough Corazon." Merga spoke coldly. "You played your part in locating the Bakunawa, and that I at least somewhat appreciate, but you are clearly forgetting your place. Remember that you continue to breathe at my sufferance and that your life only has value so long as it has usefulness."

Merga's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Now, I would suggest you get out of my way, worthless fleabag. While you are useful, you are ultimately expendable and if you do not get out of my way right now, I will not hesitate to reduce you to a smear."

"My lady, the Bakunawa is not fully operation-"

"I better know that." Merga cut off, angrily. "Now run along. I have a few ants to squash."

Corazon fell silent, merely nodded, and calmly broke into a run, not looking back as she leaped out of the room, the door slamming shut behind her. As she soon as she turned the corner she clenched and unclenched her hands slowly as she walked, anger burning behind the mask of her cold, emotionless eyes.

'Stupid lizard!' she thought to herself. 'The Bakunawa may be large but it is an impractical, vulnerable machine unless its primary functions are operational, WHICH THEY ARE NOT RIGHT NOW! If you wreck MY machine and my plans with it, I will mount your head on the wall of my bedroom, with life support systems connected to it so that you may have the time to reflect on your stupidity before decay finish you off.'

Merga had snorted to herself, hitting a combination on the cockpit dome before it decompressed, opening up and showing the main seat with a hole in the back area of it; large enough for her tail to slip in. Merga soon moved into position, slotting her tail into the hole itself while sliding her legs and arms into the separate slots inside the small cockpit. She grinned to herself, moving her fingers and starting the activation of the mech itself, the digital interface appearing in front of her face in several different draconic symbols. "Alright, let's see... main weapons system is offline but fully functional... going to switch that to 'on'... now then, what's the main energy charge for the machine's ferrofluid..." She muttered to herself, looking at one specific symbol on the digital interface, and soon an angry growl arose in her throat.

"Five percent?!" She growled, looking angrily at the image. "Dammit, the full power of this mech can't be reached with a percentage that low!" A harsh snort came from her nostrils before she regained her composure. "At least this will be enough to get some of flight module online and the main cannon active..." Her finned ears twitched, causing her to groan. "Unless I decide to get interrupted, that is..."

As if on cue, both Sonic and Sash had dashed into the large room itself, ending up on a large ring-like platform that surrounded the exposed cockpit, Sash seeing Merga directly in the cockpit.

"Merga!" Sash shouted. "You're not getting away with activating that thing!"

"Hmph, you're too late, inferior bloodline!" Merga growled, moving her hands inside the slots. "The Bakunawa is already synced its recognition system into my tail. You're too late to stop anything!"

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Sonic yelled before charging up a SpinDash while Sash charged up a Dragon Boost, both launching their attacks straight at the cockpit of the mech. It had soon proven fruitless as the shielding had soon activated, the pulse throwing the two back onto the platform as the rock started to crumble around the parts of the mech itself, the body starting to crane up in the center of the arena. Sash and Sonic got back on their feet as the mech towered above in front of them.

"Hmph, what was that you were saying, Lilac bloodline?" Merga growled. "It's now time for you to join your ancestors; several feet below!" It was soon enough that the mech fired off several energy orbs straight at the two. Sash and Sonic both dodged out of the way to either side of the blast the orb hitting the ground of the ring and lobbing the orbs up into the air and colliding on the ground. Sash gritted her teeth as she rightened, her fists clenching and the muscles in her body tightening as she got into a defensive stance as Sonic had gotten back on his feet.

The dragon's eyes darted around the arena. 'Come on Sash. Think! You're not getting through the shielding while it's up! There's gotta be a way to get it offline...'

"Whoa!" Sonic yelled, dodging out of the way of another energy blast. "We've got a bit too much to handle here Sash! Got any ideas?!"

"Hold on!" Sash said, her eyes darting before she noticed the massive crystals. "The crystals!"

Sonic nodded. "Hey, marble breath! Over here!" Sonic yelled at Merga before dashing behind the large crystal. The Bakunawa had craned its head around to face Sonic, firing off a large electrical orb straight at the crystal. The large crystal started pulsating, the electricity bouncing all over it before blasting a large electrical beam straight at the Bakunawa, the energy shield appearing for a bit as the lightning beam collided with it, eventually bursting through and recoiling the head backwards the energy shield now offline. Sash saw her opportunity and fired off a Dragon Boost straight into the cockpit now, causing the Bakunawa to recoil as if it were in pain. A loud mechanical roar came from the mech as the sickening crunch of cracking rock resounded throughout the cavern, the mech itself raising up higher, more of its serpentine jointed body coming into view.

"You juvenile little rodents!" Merga growled. "I will not allow you to defile my plans for eradication of the parasites known as the dragon race!"

"WE'RE the parasites?" Sash retorted. "You're a dragon too!"

"I am merely following my dead mistress' orders, Lilac bloodline!" Merga growled through her teeth. "You will be first on my extermination list!" At that moment a loud whirring sound was heard as soon massive lasers had fired in cross formations across the arena. Sonic ducked behind a massive rock formation as did Sash as the massive lasers burned into the rock formations and melted into the surrounding crystals.

Sonic gritted his teeth. "Shoot, those lasers are seriously packing some heat..." He muttered to himself. "As long as those things are online we can't even get close..."

Sash's mind started racing. "C'mon, c'mon... there's gotta be a way to shut those off..." She muttered to herself, before noticing the natural rock pillars stretching up to the ceiling with several rocky outcroppings connecting between some pillars. A lightbulb moment soon sparked in her head as she started dashing up the platforms inbetween the laser strikes before she hit the one above the Bakunawa's head. With a deep breath, she took a quick dash and lept off the platform before landing on the head of the gigantic mechanical beast.

Merga growled. "Nice try, Lilac blood..." She said, before she controlled the head to whip backwards, slamming straight into Sash and knocking her through a rock pillar, causing the dragon to collapse on the ground.

"Aaaagh..." Sash groaned, a pain permeating in her back. She propped herself up on her arms a bit as she breathed. "Shoot, thought that would have worked..."

"You were always reckless..." Merga spoke. "And unfortunately for you, it will be your downfall!" She yelled, charging up a massive laser in the maw of the mech. However, before she got a chance to fire it, a blue spinning ball slammed into the jaw of the machine, reorienting the blast away from Sash as it fired, crashing through the platform... and the last bit of rock that had the Bakunawa trapped in the earth. Earth heaved into the air as the mech rose from the ground in full, the serpentine mech spiraling up through the ceiling.

"Shoot, it's getting away!" Sash growled, leaping up to her feel while clutching her stomach with one of her hands, wincing a bit as she gave pursuit.

"After it!" Sonic yelled, leaping up and making a bounce off of one of the drones before he grabbed onto the tail. Sash soon followed suit and grabbed on along with Sonic as the mech spiraled into the sky. From the corner of the room in the shadows, the familiar green furred figure stepped out, her whiskers twitching a bit with her disgust.

"And so your recklessness hit you again..." Corazon growled. "Let's hope that you don't end up destroying the machine itself..." She said, leaving out of the ancient castle...

* * *

A loud boom resounded as the group outside nearly stumbled on their feet in the middle of their fight. AAA nearly fell over inside his mech as the ground crumbled behind him, causing him to screech as he tumbled backwards into the hole. Amy's muscles relaxed as her grip loosened on her hammer.

"Is... is that it?" Amy said, slinging the hammer onto her shoulder.

"M-maybe..." Cream spoke.

"I wouldn't count on it." Carol said, gripping to her katana tightly. "You can never be certain with psychos like these..."

Tails nodded, his blaster close in his grip. "He could be trying something. Keep guard." No sooner had Tails uttered that had soon AAA's mech burst out of the hole again, the arms now sporting propeller blades at the tops of the arms, keeping it aloft as the large mechanical dragon rose from the ground behind him.

"Y-you may have won th-th-this round, but you b-b-bigots aren't gonna last th-th-three seconds against the boss l-l-l-lady!" AAA stammered, slamming his fists on the console. "M-mark my words, b-boss is gonna rain down her j-j-justice on all of your petty little forgetful e-e-existences!" With that, he took off into the skies along with the giant serpent mech...

"We gotta go after them!" Carol said. "If that thing is as powerful as the blueprints said, that thing could bring an end to Avalice!"

"Hold on." Milla said, holding up one of her hands. "It might be best if we return to Avalice in pursuit of them. There's still a chance they might fail."

"And what makes you say that?" Carol retorted. Milla merely pointed to see Sonic and Sash gripping onto the tail end of the mech that was escaping into the sky.

"...good point." Carol said.

"Either way, we gotta get back to Avalice!" Tails said, starting to run back to the portal they had opened earlier. "We can cut 'em off there and stop them before they do any real damage!"

Carol nodded. "Right!"

"Amy, Cream, you guys need to come with us!" Tails said. "The more people we have to help the better!"

The two girls nodded, then the five took off back for the portal while Sonic and Sash were holding on for dear life as the Bakunawa went up to the Sigwada...

* * *

 **It seems the worst has arrived as Merga had activated the Bakunawa before Sonic and Sash could shut it down. With the two holding on for dear life as the mech returns to the Bakunawa, the victory could still be salvaged. Will Sonic and Sash succeed? Or will Merga and Corazon come out on top of the heroes? Join in next time for the beginning of Act 2 with Chapter 6: _"Airship Invasion"..._**


	7. Chapter 6: Airship Invasion

**_..._**

 ** _Sonic and Sash: Tides of Chaos 2  
Bad Bloodlines  
Act 2_**

 _Chapter 6: Airship Invasion_

The Bakunawa slithered skyward as the back end of the Sigwada opened up into the main hangar, the large dragon mech sliding in, unaware of the hedgehog and the dragon that were holding onto the tail end. As soon as the tail had set down inside the hangar, Sonic grabbed Sash and zipped behind a couple of large wooden ammunition crates before Merga was able to get out of the cockpit. It wasn't a moment too soon; the bay doors had opened as the large hatched closed behind the Bakunawa, Corazon walking in as AAA's mech came up through a platform in the floor and landed.

"The pesky immature little..." Merga growled as she shut down the Bakunawa into sleep mode, keeping the shield generators online. "At least no major damage was brought to the Bakunawa..."

"Great lady..." Corazon spoke, the sweet tone in her voice again. "It is fortunate indeed that your foes did not damage your precious weapon. Still, it is too bad that they survived..."

"To my knowledge and process of elimination, yes." Merga muttered angrily. "They most likely would have died in the Bakunawa's ascension into the sky and the castle collapsed around them."

"Y-Y-Yeah, like you almost d-d-did to me?" AAA grumbled, before receiving a dope-slap from Corazon.

Corazon shot a glare at AAA for a moment. He got the message quickly enough.

"Either way..." Merga growled. "It's time we return to Avalice. Shang Mu is our first target; no questions asked. Once we give them something to fear, then we can commence with the dragon eradication."

"Yes, my lady." Corazon said, bowing as Merga left the room, her attitude returning to her cold stature. "Greasemonkey, get to your post and run your diagnostics on the weapon. We need to make sure that Merga's little 'playtime' didn't ruin the Bakunawa's shielding or weapons systems."

"R-roger boss." AAA spoke before leaving.

Corazon briefly stopped. Her ears twitched and she found herself feeling her eyes narrowing. She listened very carefully... and all of the sweetness drained from her tone.

"What are you doing standing here?" Merga shot.

"Oh? Nothing. I just thought there might be-" Merga definitely noticed the feline's freezing cold, almost monotone voice tone.

"You will not speak to your mistress in this tone!"

Corazon instantly re-adjusted her position, her usually almost robotic stance and tone returning to its previous sweet act. "My apologies. I will be on my way."

The wildcat mentally cursed the dragoness as she left the room, leaving the hiding Sonic and Sash alone.

Sash let out a pained breath. "Aaahh..." She moaned, gritting her teeth. "That hurts... that hurts real bad..."

"Hold on." Sonic spoke, getting a couple Life Petals out of one of his pockets. "This oughta help."

Sash nodded slowly, opening her mouth and letting Sonic set two of the small crimson petals onto her tongue. The dragon closed her mouth and swallowed, panting a small bit as the petals started working the healing powers through her system. Slowly she sat up, holding her head a bit as she shook her head, sighing in relief.

"That's... better." Sash said. "Good thing you had those on you."

Sonic nodded. "Gotta make sure we're prepared for stuff like this." He said. "So, since destroying the Bakunawa itself seems to have failed, what's plan B?"

"Well, Corazon told AAA that he needed to run diagnostics on it." Sash said. "If we try and attack it now, chances are they're gonna catch we're here immediately. I might have a better idea... we take down the Sigwada."

"Ah, I see." Sonic said. "Take the beast down from the inside."

Sash nodded. "We'll need to see how we're going to get through here though. There's a high risk that she's got a lot of security cams dotted around the ship."

"I got it!" Sonic replied. "The vents."

Sash smiled. "Alright, sounds good to me. Let's find one."

Sonic nodded before the two silently took off to find a vent...

* * *

"L-let's see..." AAA muttered, his hands rapidly typing across the massive keyboard as the diagnostic scans started on the Bakunawa. "F-ferrofluid levels at five percent... main maw cannon still functioning at normal c-capacity..." He let out an exaggerated sigh as another stat comes up. "F-for the mother of a... dammit, the main shield g-generator suffered damage. G-go figure, she gets one shot to take down those little r-rats and she almost destroys the one v-vital peice of equipment that could k-keep the entire thing u-up."

The monkey muttered curses as he continued to type. "F-figures... now look wh-who's gonna look bad under th-the boss lizard's eyes..."

His eyes kept darting across the screen before a small red notification sign came up at the corner of the screen. "The bloody..." He muttered to himself before clicking on it and bringing up what was going on. His eyes started twitching from the sight of the familiar hedgehog and dragon crawling their way through the vents, the anger rising before he threw a tantrum, slamming his fists on the console.

"H-HOW IN THE B-B-BLAZES DID THOSE L-LITTLE RUNTS GET ON THE SH-SHIP?!" The monkey screeched. "D-doesn't matter, they'll b-be nothing more than t-the sushi they i-ingest once the HL-579 i-is done with them!" He said, slamming his fist on a large red button, a sadistic grin appearing on his face.

A loud static sound came over the intercom before Corazon's cold voice spoke. "Greasemonkey, what is the commotion about?"

"N-nothing boss!" AAA replied shortly. "Just checking on something!"

"Hmph." Corazon growled. "There better be 'nothing' going on to cause that reaction, otherwise there will be 'something' to warrant that reaction." The PA fizzled out in a static as AAA returned to the console, a sadistic grin on his face.

"Oh, th-they'll be 'n-nothing' alright..." He snickered.

* * *

"Ooof!" Sash gasped as Sonic had pressed against her inside the vent. "Hey! Keep your space Sonic!"

"Sorry..." Sonic spoke. "There's not a lot of space in here!"

"You're telling me..." Sash muttered. "How close are we to the reactor core?"

"Not sure." Sonic answered. "I don't know the layout of this ship. I would think you would've known it!"

"Neera didn't give me a map of this place!" Sash retorted. "If I had known we were gonna do something like this, I would've asked!"

Sonic sighed. "At least we have some time to search here. I don't think they even know we're in here at all."

"At least that's a good thing. We have the upper hand when it comes to something like this." Sash answered, before a small creaking was heard, causing her heart to sink. "...please don't tell me that's what I think it is..." She muttered before the vent gave out from beneath the two, causing the two to crash in a pile. "Owwww..."

"Oooof..." Sonic groaned, sitting up, holding his head. "Well, that could have went better..."

"You're telling me." Sash said, standing up, sighing. "Well, let's just keep moving. With any luck we-" She was cut off when the sirens started blaring in the halls, causing her to groan. "Well never mind about that plan!"

"Looks like we gotta move!" Sonic said, getting up. "Let's blow this joint!"

Sash nodded before the two took off down the hallway. They hadn't gotten too far before a burst was heard from behind them, the hedgehog glancing back to see the gold-colored mech chasing them down. "Well, looks like the seafood department hadn't cooked this one for long enough!"

Sash glanced back. "That thing doesn't look too vulnerable from what I'm seeing. With it chasing us like this I can't get a good read on it! Let's find somewhere so we can lure it out of these tight halls!"

"Sounds good to me!" Sonic said, before flinching a bit as a missile flew by the two, exploding on the wall of the corridor. "And maybe it'll come with more dodging room too!" He said as the two rounded a corner of the corridor, the mech following close behind them.

Soon the two had burst out into a large room with several wooden crates piled high, the mech soon crashing through behind them, the craws poised open and ready for attack. The craws rumbled for a bit before flames shot forward, the two dodging out of the way and dashing behind some crates.

"Shoot... that thing really doesn't let up, does it?" Sonic whispered to Sash as the gigantic mech plodded by, not hearing the whispering.

Sash merely shook her head. "As long as that thing still has visual contact on us, we're not gonna be able to land any sort of attack on it." She said, gritting her teeth. "There's gotta be some way to disable those optical sensors..."

"Well, let's keep our distance from it while we search around." Sonic answered. "If that thing sees you, run. Don't do anything else, just run."

Sash nodded before the two split up, the lobster mech now just lumbering by the area where they hid. The large mech took one glance at the area where the two just were before looking back ahead and plodded off.

Sash kept above the crates near the top of the room, occasionally stopping to pry one open to see if the contents would be useful. Unfortunately, the more crates she had opened, the more contents she found would have no effect increased; crystal shards, scrap metal, stolen weapons, among other things.

"Dammit..." Sash cursed to herself, before leaping to another crate. "There's gotta be something inside one of these crates that could help..." She said. prying off another top of a crate... only to be met with a large amount of explosives inside it. A small smirk appeared on her face as she looked at the contents of the crate, reaching in and grabbing what appeared to be stolen Shang Tu military explosives. "These might help..." She said to herself, shutting the crate before leaping off of the pile onto a shorter stack of crates as she hid shortly after, the clanking sound of the robotic lobster's feet plodding along the floor nearby. "Now I just gotta hope Sonic's found something that can help..."

Meanwhile, Sonic had stayed around the floor of the large room while constantly diving around the corners of the massive crates. His eyes darted around the area as he looked at some of the open crates, seeing some of the contents inside them before he shook his head.

"Those don't look like they can help at all..." Sonic muttered to himself as he dashed around another corner, narrowly avoiding the headlight vision of the lobster mech as it passed by. "There's gotta be something that'll shut that thing's eyes off..." His eyes caught sight of another nearby opened crate, with what seemed like several large cylinders inside them with what looked like metal handles on them. A large word was scrawled on the side of the crate:

 **Paint.**

Sonic smirked as he zipped over and grabbed a couple of the cans. "Heh, these oughta blind it well enough." The hedgehog said to himself before the light suddenly flashed on him, the mech right nearby him. The hedgehog flinched before rushing off as the mech fired two missiles at him, the hedgehog rounding the corner as the missiles hit the wall, creating a loud explosion that shook the side of the Sigwada. Sonic ducked into an alcove of crates as the mech lumbered by, not noticing the alcove. The hedgehog sighed in relief. "Alright, now I just need to meet back up with Sash..."

* * *

Corazon made her way up to the main deck of the Sigwada. AAA jumped out of his seat as she thrown the doors open, slamming them against the walls. Despite her usual emotionless mask, AAA could notice the way that Corazon's tail wagged slowly, her body a bit more tense than usual.

"AAA." Corazon spoke. There was an oily, almost sarcastic quality to her tone that filtered through her usually cold tone. "I assume that the explosions in the cargo bay are some kind of experiment?"

"A-ah, that!" The monkey replied. Yep, the boss is beside herself with anger. "N-nothing more than t-taking care of some little p-pests that got on the sh-ship!"

Corazon did something that almost never happened. Namely, her left ear actually twitched and for a moment, real emotion filtered into her face. For some reason, it terrified AAA far more deeply than any of Merga's temper tantrums. The way that Corazon suddenly openly glared at him, her gaze so piercing he almost felt it slice through his skin...

"S-sorry! I know you're probably worried about the Sigwada's status but the HL-579 c-can't be turned off once it has acquired its target." AAA said a bit more nervously than he had wished. "It's only gonna be a-able to stop once those two a-are nothing more th-than bloody smears on the f-floor!"

"A-and believe me, they WILL be smears!" he added, talking a bit too quickly for his own taste.

Corazon actually, fully glared at him. He suddenly felt extremely small as the feline towered over him just as much as Merga could, her hands tightening into fists. But then, just as her left eye begun to twitch, her entire body shuddered once and all traces of emotion vanished altogether, her tail completely still behind her.

Corazon spun, turning her back upon him. "Your machine will fail." He did not know if he liked her tone suddenly being back to its usual monotone, actually. "It is clear I must take care of this issue myself."

"B-b-boss!" AAA said, but the door had already shut behind the wildcat. "Ho boy... m-might as well looked back in t-to what's going o-on..." He said, looking back at the screen through the robotic lobster's eyes...

* * *

"So, you found anything?" Sash whispered as she had met back up with Sonic with the explosives she had.

Sonic nodded. "Got a couple of paint buckets. I think if I hurl 'em hard enough at that tin can's eyes, it might be enough to smash 'em up good."

"That helps." Sash said. "I managed to get ahold of a couple of stolen Shang Tu explosives they had stockpiled up in here. Once you blind it, I'll blow it sky-high!"

Sonic nodded in agreement, smirking. "Sounds good to me. Now let's find that thing and shut it down!" Sash nodded before the two split up again, just as the large lobster mech lumbered by.

Sonic smirked as he got on top of another nearby crate, a paint can in hand as he waited for Sash to play her part. Sure enough a loud blare was heard and soon Sash had rushed by, the mech trying to plod after it as fast as it could. As soon as it had gotten near Sonic's spot, he hurled the paint can straight at the robot. Rather than expecting the weight of the can to smash the headlight servo as expected, the paint can had burst on impact, splashing the wet decorative goo across the optic sensor on its right side. The mech halted in its tracks and started swiveling itself around, trying to locate Sonic with its only other sensor, but failing miserably as it could only see out of one optic sensor. The lobster mech tried firing off a missile at where it thought Sonic was, but only ended up collapsing a stack of crates on top of it. The mech burst out of the crate pile, trying to frantically search for Sonic or Sash before another thrown paint can hit its other optic sensor, blinding it altogether. The mech then had started flailing around madly, its robotic craws firing off missiles in random directions in hopes of hitting either of its designated targets.

Sonic smirked. "It's all you Sash!" He yelled before Sash lept from her perch and attached the explosives to the mech. Sash nodded, leaping off the mech and got her distance from it with Sonic.

"Time for some baked lobster!" She said, with a flick of her wrist she hit the button on the small remote she had. A high-pitched whine was heard before the explosives detonated, blowing the entire mech to shreds as one of its craws landed right next to Sash's foot, causing a grin from the dragon. "Well, that takes care of that mess."

Sonic nodded, smirking. "Now then, how about we get out of here and take this ship down?"

Sash smiled. "I like the sound of that." She said, before a loud clang was heard, causing her tense up. "What was that?"

Sonic got tense. "No clue... but I don't think we're alone here."

"We aren't..." Sash said, her eyes darting around. But it wasn't long before gas started spraying through the vents of the system, causing the two to start coughing harshly, their eyes watering.

"Wh-what is this?!" Sonic yelled between coughs.

"Ch-ch... chloroform... gas..." Sash choked out before the two collapsed to the floor, unconscious...

* * *

The resounding pain swirled inside the dragoness' head as she slowly regained her consciousness, moaning a bit from feeling like her body was railed against the wall. Her vision was blurry as she slowly opened her eyes, but she could make out three visible figures in front of her and one beside her; the figures being Merga, Corazon and AAA, with Sonic right beside her. Her wrists and ankles felt hampered, as well as a large restriction around her waist and neck, and it didn't take long for her to realize that she had metal binds around her, holding her down against the cold metal plate. She had also soon realized why she had felt so groggy; she didn't feel her chargers pressing up against her head like normal. A low, slightly angry growl escaped her throat as she and Sonic looked up at their captors...

"Oh oh oh!" went the monkey excitedly, noticing the dragoness waking up. "Good good good! The-they're awake now!"

His excited outburst earned him a glare from the massive, towering blue dragoness. She then turned her attention to the bound dragoness. "It is good of you to finally join us."

Corazon Tea was completely silent in the background...

Sonic tightened his restrained fists. "Well, we probably would've been awake sooner if it wasn't for your little gas trick you pulled on us!" He retorted.

Sash weakly growled. "Wh... where's my chargers...?"

"You were lucky. My minion figured that you were more useful alive than dead." Merga had ignored Sonic, only paying attention to Sash. "I could have ended you right there after my minion's trick but well, I wanted you alive for two things."

Merga shown Sash her chargers... broken. "I figured an inferior blooded lizard such as yourself would require the use of something such as this to keep up with a true dragon. So I took care of this. Now you stand before me weak and helpless, as is the natural order of things when a dirty blooded wyvern such as you try to meddle in the affairs of dragons."

She smirked. "Besides, I want you to live to see me burn down your precious little Three Kingdoms."

Sash struggled a bit. "I-I'm not a w-wyvern... I'm a t-true pure-blooded dragon through and through..." She squeaked. "Y-you're not going to burn down Avalice..." She spoke, clearly lacking her energy. "You're going to fail. Brevon and Eggman had failed before you, what makes you think you're going to succeed?"

"Yeah." Sonic added, a flame of defiance in his eyes. "You really think that killing off an entire world because of your twisted morals from an insane half-breed princess puts you in the right? You think that makes you right and us wrong?"

Merga ignored Sonic again, not even looking at him and talking back to Sash over Sonic's words, obviously not listening to anything he said. "Your bloodline has been corrupted by rodents such as the vermin by your side. You are completely addled. How else would you still stand against me when you are obviously beaten?"

She towered over the chained dragoness, her cruel smirk becoming wider. "And I'm not surprised a mere wyvern such as you would be unable to understand its own predicament. Brevon and Eggman were inferior life-forms. I am dragon, the true expression of our species's superiority. If you were a true dragon, you would understand this."

AAA in the background just rolled his eyes at the scene unfolding.

"Wyverns have historically been able to use the moves of dragons." Merga suddenly switched her tone to a cold, mocking one. She then dangled the broken chargers by Sash again. "Of course, being inferior, they require so much energy to use such moves as to need technology such as this. If you were a true dragon, you would not need such things."

AAA blinked a few times, scratched the top of his head quickly, and was about to say something. But then, he smirked, shrugged, and went back to just looking over the scene.

Sash gritted her teeth. "Th-then answer me this then." She sputtered out. "If you s-say I'm truly a wyvern, wh-where are my wings? Why do I have t-tendrils instead?"

This gained the dragoness a grin. She didn't anwser for a while, simply glaring at Sash smugly. "You will die an ignorant. But then, it is the natural order of things. An inferior life-form such as yourself cannot hope to understand."

She turned around and walked up to Corazon and AAA. "Do with them as you will. I have important, draconic matters to attend to."

"O-o-oh! What are we-" AAA got interrupted mid-sentence by Merga.

"The affairs of vermin are beneath me. Do not bother me with them." Merga left the room, Corazon bowing down before her as she did. And eventually, leaving Sash and Sonic alone with them.

... it was then that Corazon's features shifted. Her sycophantic smile vanished, the emotion drained from her face, her hunched over pose broke. She straightened herself, her body language vanishing as she took control of herself and became almost unnaturally still. Her eyes turned from the manic look of before to the cold, emotionless expression that they had seen whenever Merga was not around. The way Corazon stood before Sash and Sonic, her piercing stare as icy as the coldest blizzard, there was about as much emotion in her as in an Egg Pawn. Both Sonic and Sash merely glared back at her, excanging the cold glance she was giving them.

"So, why the facade?" Sonic asked, not taking his eyes of Corazon. "Any particular reason as to why you act like a goody two shoes around her?"

Corazon stared at the two very carefully. With Merga gone, AAA also allowed himself to be truly himself. His face became manic, his crazy twitching changed as he fully gave in and grinned like a loon. There was just something eerie. The two were seemingly opposites and yet...

Corazon was as a pillar, an ominous feline pillar glaring at the two accusingly. AAA was a storm, a raging hurricane that never stopped spinning around the pillar.

For a moment, neither spoke, just observing them. But after a moment, Corazon put a hand on her chin and faked thinking. Given her lack of emotion, it was a very obviously fake motion ; she did it purely on purpose, knowing they'd see it. Then she broke the pose and finally spoke back.

"It is amusing that one who would claim to control the fate of two worlds would not understand the concept of power. Though, I am not surprised. You were always a failure, Sash. Always. When Spade and my sister tried to teach you the true meaning of power and how to control destiny, you always closed yourself off from the truth. And yet, here you are. One of two souls who control the fate of entire worlds. Absurd."

Sash gritted her teeth, her tendrils starting to twitch. "At least I h-have the common sense of not trying t-to gain power through genocide like you a-and you little 'mistress'." She growled. "And don't even t-try to pin on me what I think y-you're trying to pin on me. Her death w-was not my fault."

Sonic merely glared at Corazon. "Awful big talk coming from someone who's got about as much emotion as a tombstone." The hedgehog countered, struggling to move.

Corazon stared at the two, not saying a word. Much unlike Merga, she allowed each of them to speak fully.

... which was actually uncharacteristic. Corazon had been extremely noticeably uninterested in their opinion in every other encounter. Yet now, she allowed the two to express themselves before she replied. No hint of sarcasm in her voice either.

"You clearly do not understand anything about the situation, about me, or about anything. Spade is a fool. My little sister is delluded. I'm sure Eggman and other various ignorant, stupid villains have probably given you variations of the 'there's two types of people in the world' speech. In a way, there is indeed two types of people. But that is a reduction and a point you probably demolished many times before."

She paused for effect. "So instead, I would like you to tell me... what do you think a 'hero' is?"

Sash stiffened, looking Corazon right in the eye. "I don't view myself a-as a 'hero', Corazon. I've grown up from that, realizing that those fantasies were just all that they were; fantasies. Idealistic dreams from an imperfect girl thinking she could play 'hero' and thinking that would magically solve everything." She spoke, her tone cold. "I've already come to terms on myself about that. I hated the fact that I had to constantly hold back, else I break the bones of those I love. I hated the fact that I didn't get a chance to use everything to my full extent when I had fought Brevon before I drilled him through fifteen decks of his own ship."

"And you know what?" She spoke, glaring fiercely at Corazon in the eye. "The world isn't black and white. It's a morally grey mix of people trying to survive out there just to make their families or loved ones still be with them. You're wrong on one thing. Maybe we're the same type of person deep down. But there's one difference between us. And do you know what that is?"

"You believe in nothing. You just destroy."

Corazon stared at Sash and Sonic. She had let the dragoness speak and as she listened, AAA also did. The feline was silent for a moment and then, decided to switch gears.

"... do you know why you are here? What brought me to do this to you?" She spoke coldly.

Sash glared straight at her. "Simple. You found us in your way."

"And want us out of the way." Sonic added. "Because you know we're a threat to your plans."

"I think you two might have noticed the difference by now." She said, expecting them to know or guess what she was talking about.

Sash firmed her stare. "You want to break us. Demoralize us."

Corazon returned Sash's stare. AAA, behind her, rolled his eyes.

"Since at least one of you claim to be insightful of the situation, surely one of you has figured out the truth regarding our... 'Mistress'. Haven't you?"

"Yeah, that you're just using her and she's too blinded by her own ideals to smack you upside the face a couple times!" Sonic retorted, straining his restraints. "That's all this is, it's just a sick twisted manipulation plan you have!"

"Merga was doomed from the very beginning." Corazon said, not reacting to Sonic's tone and movements. "Eggman always was a visionary. Warped, delluded, and insane, but there is a ... level of purity and completion to his madness. And it reflects in his plans. Inane and foolish he might be, his will is one that can bend the world to his desire."

She carried on, staring at him now. "Brevon, which my sister fought, also was this way. He fought for a cause he believed in and was willing, and capable, of doing what was necessary to fulfill it."

"Merga is not like them. She operate on the belief that as a dragon, she is perfect. She is powerful, as she was designed to be, but true power is not merely strength. Power... is power." She looked to Sash. "Amusing, is it not? Power equals power. Something that Merga does not understand. Even if you two had done nothing, Merga is destined to fall. And she will fall."

"Morality is nothing but a tool that the weak made as a response against the natural order of things. To those with power, it is merely a vapid suggestion." She said.

... and then, she glared at them. Truly glared. To see her gaze bore itself through them with contempt... her expression was otherwise fully cold except for the pure frustration and hate.

"Merga will fail. Even with my involvement, she will fail. And that is the thing. You have actually achieved nothing. Merga will fail, regardless of if you move to stop her or not. And I will not save her. However, while Merga is ultimately doomed and has only an illusion of power over her fate, she is a very convenient tool."

Corazon actually tensed, her hands clenching into fists. "Not all tools are used the same way. Some are simply manipulated, others are intimidated, others yet are steered into directions. Merga has unknowingly been dancing upon carefully crafted puppet strings ever since she first awoke. And you two buffoons, with your little pointless heroics, have been threatening to expose those strings to her."

"The only reason I am talking to you at all right now is because my sister has affection for you two. However misplaced her affection may be, I aknowledge it. So this will be my final warning."

"Cease, desist. Stop getting involved in matters that are beyond your ability to grasp."

That last sentence was what set Sash off. "Carol's affection is NOT misplaced." She growled, anger in her tone. "Her affection towards me and the rest of my friends is because of her family throwing her out! Both her and Coral! And Coral's death didn't help with that either, since all that she had left was me! The one who could truly relate to her! You couldn't understand what kind of hell the both of us have been through, nor could you even understand how distraught we were when we lost the only piece of family we had back then!"

Then as Sash insulted Corazon's feelings for her family, something... occured. Something that caused the otherwise completely unflappable AAA to actually stop twitching. His eyes widened, the pupils shrinking to dots. He backed away slowly, a look of actual terror on his face.

The reason became obvious as Corazon's cold mask completely fell apart. She looked almost feral as her pupils were reduced to thin slits, her entire body so tense that every single pulse of rage through her could be seen making her body twitch slightly with each heartbeat. Her claws actually came out as sheer rage took hold of her.

Unlike every other display of hatred they had witnessed from the Tea, it wan't faked or amplified. It was true, actual anger. A cold fury that was far more deadly and spiteful than any of Merga's temper tantrums.

Corazon slapped Sash hard and brutally enough that it would damage her face, drawing blood. She then grabbed the dragoness by the chin and forced her to stare into her eyes.

"It is apparent you do not have any understanding of the situation or your place in the greater order of things." Her hand was actually shaking slightly from anger. "I have been nice, lizard. I have been patient. But it seems obvious that my fleeting sentiments for my younger sister have blinded me. You WILL regret having reminded me that I should always act pragmatically."

Corazon's anger did not actually drain. But she visibly regained control. But as she smirked widely, it looked... wrong. Despite the fact that Corazon Tea was an Avalician and was kind of similar to Carol and Coral, being a Tea, the expression she had frankly looked more like it belonged on Brevon's face.

"Oh believe me, I believe that you will regret those words soon enough."

She let go of Sash and turned to AAA. AAA actually recoiled a bit from her glare. "AAA?"

"Hmmm... y-y-yes boss?" For some reason, his stuttering didn't sound like it was from his usual verbal tic, this time.

"Leave the room and make sure the idiot lizard is suitably busy. I want to be left with the two of them. Alone."

The monkey bowed briefly before running out of the room, leaving the two alone with Corazon. She turned to two and then, cracked her fingers. As she rolled her shoulders, glared openly at the two. "It is time to make things clear between all of us."

Sash merely smirked. "What isn't already clear from your actions alone?"

Sonic tensed. "You really think your little scare tactics are gonna scare me? I already survived near-death before."

Suddenly, all of the anger drained, leaving a strange, warped sense of glee on Corazon's face. "Oh, believe me. I do not intend to scare you. We all know you are too foolish to feel fear."

She took out a remote control. She tested it out, making a few arcs of electricity flash near the two. She watched the two very carefully for their reactions...

Sash's muscles tensed up, her eyes shrinking to dots as the electricity arced in front of her. "N-no..." She breathed in a hushed worried tone, her tendrils twitching faster and more erratic as she squirmed more. "N-n-no, not that..."

Sonic tensed up. "You're as insane as I thought. Electrocution? Really, you'd stoop that low to something that barebones and primal-fear raising in Sash?" He said angrily.

Corazon did not say anything. She merely smirked coldly. She then cranked up the electricity and actually shocked her target.

... but the electricity current did not shoot through Sash's body but rather, Sonic's. Sonic yelled in pain as the electric currents shocked through his entire body, his back arching harshly almost in a vain attempt to escape the seething burning sensation.

Sash's eyes went wide. "N-n-NO! STOP!" She yelled, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Y-YOU HEARTLESS BITCH!"

Corazon's grin widened. She moved her hands so Sash could clearly see the remote... and then, on purpose, flicked it relatively slowly so Sash could clearly see her crank up the intensity.

Sash's eyes widened. "S-STOP! YOU INSANE SOCIOPATHIC COWARD!"

Sonic's yells of pain grew even louder, his cobalt blue fur starting to char a bit, his nose starting to bleed from the high amounts of voltage coursing through his body. Corazon counted in her head. She calculated very carefully, based on the combat footage she had seen of Sonic fighting Eggman but also AAA. Dramatically, she cranked it up even more as Sash yelled at her not to, on purpose. She would stop riiiight when the damage would become such that Sonic would be near-catatonic from pain but not enough that he would lose consciousness.

Sonic yelled louder, the pain searing in his body starting to become more and more unbearable as several parts of his fur charred and his spines frayed, his outfit starting to tatter from his electric torture.

Sash had broken out into full out tears. "S-STOP HURTING HIM YOU BITCH!" She screamed at Corazon, her tendrils violently twitching and whipping from where they were restrained.

Corazon stopped. She seemed... satisfied at Sash's tears. She twirled the remote once before turning it off and sliding it back into a pocket of her coat. She approached Sash and then, as she made it close, brought her face so close her nose almost touched her muzzle. Then, just to drive it home, she slid her index down each tendril in turn, feeling them twitch and try to whip against the restraints... Slowly, Corazon placed her mouth against Sash's neck and slowly licked upward to her cheek. She tasted her tears, literally, and stepped back, licking her left hand's fingers for a second. She had made sure Sonic would be conscious to see all of this. She shot him a seductive smirk. "Reminds me of salmon sushi. A nice choice, truly."

Sonic struggled, breathing heavily from the electrocution. "T-take your hands off of her... y-you demented freak..." Sonic uttered from his throat.

Corazon noticed Sonic's reaction and smirked even wider. So before his very eyes, she removed her gloves. She then shoved them into her coat's pockets.

"You know..." she said, actually removing her coat. "I am a Tea. Carol, like her older sister, take upon her wardrobe choice for a symbolic reason."

She folded her coat neatly, pausing, her body still as a statue for a second. "Clothes are protection. From the weather, from harm, from the opinions of others. They protect us, they hide our flaws."

Before the two of them, her coat, goggles, and pants hit the floor. And amazingly... as she removed the outer parts of her outfit, it revealed that she wore underneath a tank top and shorts. The color was different from what her sisters had once worn ; they had a black and red color scheme, as opposed to Carol's and Coral's green color.

She approached Sonic and then, slowly, slid herself closer to him until their noses touched. "But I do not need it. I can do absolutely whatever I wish."

Sash tensed up. "N-no. Don't touch him." She said. "He's too good for you."

Sonic tried pulling his face away. "Personal space much?"

Corazon smirked widely. She then arched her body a bit, sliding actually pressing most of her body against his but pushed her head back. She twirled the remote with one hand, actually moving it in front of his eyes so he'd know what was coming. By now, her tail was raised and she was actually taking in his frame...

"The famous Sonic. A hero, one who change the world. But behind your back, they also whisper you as a figure of solitude. Unassailable, invulnerable, untouchable."

Corazon activated the electricity again.

This time, she slammed her body into his own, joining her hands to his. She was visibly shocking herself as much as she was shocking him. She thrown her head out as she twitched and trembled, actually letting out a groan of pure pain as she shocked herself... but though she screamed out in pain, the way she convulsed against his body, the strange, extremely unfitting excitement in her voice. As she panted quickly, feeling the burn, she actually slammed her mouth on his, forcing him into a deep kiss. A coppery taste would fill the hedgehog's mouth... but it was... different from before. Not all of it was his own. He would feel Corazon tasting his blood, just as she bled in his own, forcing him to taste her own. Then, after grinding herself in one hard, slow motion, she cut off the electricity current, backing away so quickly she almost lost her footing.

The way Corazon panted as she shook slightly was very blatantly suggestive. She slid her right, trembling hand by her lips, wiped the blood off of it, and then, slowly, slid her finger into her mouth very suggestively, sucking the blood off of it. Then, she finally got a hold of herself...

"Hmmm... tastes... a bit like lemony." She turned to Sash, fists on her hips, legs crossed, smirking very widely. "What's the matter, lizard? Surely, you can share your lonely little heroic figure for a while?"

Sash was at a loss for words, tears brimming her eyes. "Y-y-you're insane, you know that?!" She growled.

Sonic coughed up what blood had entered his mouth. "Uch... that taste is wretched..."

Corazon smirked as she look at Sash, smirking widely. "Tsk tsk, you still don't get it don't you?"

She walked up to the dragoness and slid a finger up her neck to her chin. "Sanity, morality, they are just words. Without power, they have no meaning. Life on its own is mere survival. It is worth nothing. Power, free will, control give it meaning. All are subject to it. Given the abject lesson you apparently got at Brevon's hands, one would think you would understand. Especially given you admitted to having no delusions of heroism yourself. And yet... here we are."

"Look at yourself, Sash. A horned dragon, filled with pride and honor, fighting to protect the innocent. The successor. The heroine of Avalice and Mobius. Sonic's little toy..."

She smirked cruelly. "How about it, Sash? Shall we see what you are below your heritage, your reputation, your strength, your horns, your pride as a dragon?"

"I AM NOT A PLAYTHING!" Sash yelled, glaring at Corazon angrily.

The feline smirked at Sash's reaction. She stepped back and then, stretched and cracked her knuckles. She pressed a button on her remote... but instead of electricity crackling, a panel on the floor slid out of the way. Steam shot out from the hole for a second and then, something rose up... what seemed to be a strange, overly elaborate mish-mash of mechanical parts shaped into a massive buster sword.

... a Mech-Blade.

But not any Mech-Blade. Sonic, in particular, would notice the symbol on it. The Sky Empire's symbol.

Corazon grabbed it by its handle and as she slowly removed it, the panel slid back shut. "My ancestors were given this. It is a symbol, the beginning, and the future. Every Mech-Blade ever created is a flawed replica of this machine. A tool, perfect and immaculate, a weapon with which to shape the future. It was a gift to Bail Tea from your ancestor, lizard. A gift... as you relinquished your power to us."

Both of the two's eyes widened, but for different reasons.

"Th-that mark..." Sonic said. "That's...!"

"That's Coral's blade..." Sash said, starting to squirm again. "...how. How did you get that..."

"Coral gave her life to reshape the future." Corazon said, suddenly calm and serious once more, her tone reverting to its usual cold, emotionless one. "Her body did not survive the fall but the honor of Tea is eternal."

Her eyes narrowed and a hint of anger flashed in her eyes. "While you languished at HQ and blamed Spade for things he had no control over, I raced to save the life of Avalice's brightest champion. While you whined and threw a tantrum like an overgrown reptile hatchling, I raced to save her life."

"She did not survive her fall but her legacy was entrusted upon me. I will change this world. All of Avalice owe its life to her... and of course, to my younger sister too."

"Merga speaks of taking over this world... but what she does not know is that I already rule it. No one and nothing can tell me what to do. Entire nations tremble at my arrival. The most powerful governments bend their knee to me. Avalice's and Mobius's champions are powerless before me. Even Merga, the so-called ultimate life-form, is nothing but a puppet."

She gripped the Mech-Blade hard. "This is MY world, lizard! MY history to shape! Your powers are NOTHING! Your words are EMPTY! Your will is MEANINGLESS! You live at my sufferance. Merga might speak of being the ultimate life-form but frankly, it's just on paper. I AM the ultimate life-form. Bred and raised as the latest of the blood of those whose will shape the future. And you, little lizard, and your legacy, are obsolete little things that should go back into the history books where they belong!"

Sash tensed up. "You'll fail. Your corrupted ideals will never see the life of day." She growled. "Neither Carol or your family will ever forgive you if you go through with this. If Coral were still alive, she would be disgusted by you..."

Corazon smirked cruelly as she approached Sash. "Will fail? Amusing. Do you believe I am some kind of supervillain? That I am monologuing some kind of inane plan? It seems you are selectively deaf." She removed a hand off of the grip and slid it against her cheek. "I am not telling you what I am planning to do... I am telling you what I have done. I have already won, lizard."

Sash tensed up. "Carol will NEVER forgive you for this. You'll singlehandedly become the most despised being in existence, even moreso than what Cordelia amounted to."

"Their opinions does not matter. History will judge me." She said, suddenly smirking in a disturbingly soft, gentle manner. "It is, after all, as it always has been."

She stepped back, smirking widely even more... "Mobian hedgehogs are... quite the creatures, aren't they? One would think them connected to dragons, given the physical similarity between water-type dragons and hedgehog females. Look at Amy, for example. Their large spines are not unlike a water dragon's hair feathers, don't you think?"

Sash's fists clenched. "What are you..."

"Merga is about to unleash her master plan. Of course, it will be foiled." Corazon said, looking at the two. "But you'd rather stop her, wouldn't you? Prevent the genocide of dragons, right?"

She smiled. "There's been theories already. About you. The legitimacy of your legacy. People have not forgotten your crime spree. And while most know you as a hero... they do not know Merga is a mix of dragons and take her claims of being a water dragon at face value."

"I believe... it is time you show the world your true colors."

Sash clenched her fists. "I am not a hybrid..." She muttered. "I'm not... my blood is pure..."

"Of course. Because you have all of the traits of a pure-blood. The horns, the tendrils..." she said.

She then deployed the Mech-Blade. Much unlike the replicas, this one worked on more advanced tech and as such, a blade of energy deployed itself. It looked massively, crackling with power. It was a terrible weapon, one that Coral had used to cleave entire structures in two with a single slash. Without shielding, even Sash's hardened dragon skin would not be able to resist any particularly strong strike from that particular weapon... especially not wielded by a strong woman like Corazon.

"One just have to look at you, see your horns, see you use your dragon tendrils in battle, to know you are a dragon. Only one has to see you Dragon Boost..."

Sash tensed up, her fists clenching harder, looking Corazon dead in the eye. "I'm not a hybrid... my mother was pure-blood..."

"Why would they believe you? After all, you have no horns. And no tendrils." she said, her grin now showing her sharp fangs.

"Well, clearly not after what you're going to do..." Sash retorted, spitting at her.

Corazon sidestepped. She smiled widely. She whistled to herself as she spun the blade, walking toward Sash... then once she was facing her, she looked over the dragoness a bit more.

Holding the handle of the Mech-Blade with one hand, she gripped Sash's head. The back of the slate she was chained to retracted, exposing the back of her head. "Now, I heartily recommend you remain still. This will be a close cut and a partial lobotomy is most certainly something you wish to avoid. Try not to convulse too badly either."

She slowly slid the Mech-Blade behind Sash and begun to slowly cut. While she was wide awake. With no anesthetics whatsoever.

Sash gritted her teeth in pain but her tears did not start, her clenched fists showing her expression of pain as the blade had cut close to her skin. She slowed her breathing, reducing her panic as her face started draining of emotion...

When she was finished, Corazon was not quite done. She had a characteristic kitty grin as she stepped back... which only looked more messed-up given what she had just done.

She deactivated the Mech-Blade and pressed a button on her remote. The Mech-Blade was taken away. And as she pressed a second button on her remote, the panel opened again... this time, a welder and a series of black metal sheets appeared.

She grabbed the welder and one of the sheets. "Dragons can regrow their horns and tendrils if exposed to sufficient Life Petals. But what happens... when they cannot do so? Maybe they never had horns to begin with."

Sash breathed slowly, not even looking at Corazon at this rate as she closed her eyes, only hearing the sounds of her tendrils and horns hitting the floor of the room. She let out a sigh, her fists tightening.

Then, slowly, again without any way to dull the pain being applied, Corazon used the welding tool to liquefy the metal and seal up each of the spots where she had cut off the horns and tentacles. Each metal plate was effectively fused to her skin, to prevent her horns and tendrils from ever being regrown. As she finished, Corazon stepped back and smirked. She pressed a button on her remote. A door opened. Then she pressed a second one and the restraints gave away for both Sash and Sonic. "Now... I have a task for both of you. And I know that you WILL do as I ask."

Sash merely shuddered, trying to hold back her cries of pain and anguish as she stood still, semi holding onto Sonic to help keep him up after the electrocution he had just taken. "...what. What could you want." Sash spoke, cold.

Corazon glared at the two. "Mind your own business and don't pester me ever again."

Sash didn't respond. She just... stood there, merely helping hold up Sonic as best she could.

Corazon, instead of being bothered, was actually satisfied. She took out a communicator. "AAA, take out the trash. I'm done here."

"Sure thing boss!" Good. The distraction was done with and well, she had a bit of fun while at it. So, nice. She took her longer pants and coat, putting them back on alongside her goggles and gloves. She seemed quite happy with herself.

Sash had now looked up at Corazon as she was leaving, though there wasn't the look of fear or anger that there was before, before she looked over at Sonic. "S-sorry Sonic..."

Sonic merely smirked. "Heh... y-you really think I'm gonna let this g-get me down?"

Sash sighed. "I don't know..."

* * *

The sickening thud of two bodies hitting the floor resounded throughout the hold as AAA had tossed Sash and Sonic into the cell, the plasma heat bars slamming down in front of them, locking them in the cell.

"There ya l-little rodents go." AAA spoke. "Consider yourselves l-lucky that boss didn't decide t-to off ya when you pissed her off. Now be good little prisoners and stay there. Maybe w-when boss has everything all set and done she'll let you two be servants for her." He said, striding off in his mech, leaving a physically and emotionally broken Sonic and Sash against the back wall of the cell.

"Heh... so this is how we'd go out..." Sash muttered, still wincing a bit from the hot metal that had been welded to her skull. "Gotta admit... a lot less glorious... and violent... then I expected."

"H-heh..." Sonic choked out, wincing a bit. "I-if not for the fact my s-spines are frayed, I could probably c-cut us out..."

Sash merely shook her head. "I don't think we should try to break out of here." She said, leaning on Sonic. "Besides, even if we got out, we're in no suitable shape to fight her off. With you being a catatonic electrified wreck and me having my tendrils severed and no longer growing, we'd be gunned down before we could even get out of the ship."

"..." Sonic just merely breathed as he leaned against the back wall. "Then it's up to Tails and Carol..."

Sash just merely sadly nodded, looking back down at the floor.

"Hey Sash?"

"Yeah?"

"I gotta ask... how come you took what Corazon did to you so calmly?"

"...it's what I had learned from the Scarves when I was younger." Sash said calmly. "Head Scarf had taught me of not showing fear or weakness whenever something like that were to happen that I should show no emotion or pain. It's what they want; a reaction."

"...that's gotta take some hard nerves to endure something like that." Sonic spoke.

Sash merely nodded. "Don't get me wrong, it still hurt like hell since Corazon decided to show that she's in 'control' without applying any kind of anesthesia."

Sonic just merely nodded back. "Same with that electrocution... ow..." He said, wincing a bit.

Sash sighed again, looking at the plasma bars of the cell. "I only hope our friends can end up finishing our work for us." She said, gripping Sonic's hand.

"...same here." Sonic agreed, gripping her hand as the two sat together in the cell...

* * *

 **It's a dark time for our heroes. After a brutal session at the hands of Corazon herself, Sonic and Sash are now out of the equation and Corazon's unwilling captives aboard the Sigwada. Things seem bleak now, but with the others returning to Avalice, will they be able to free their friends before it's too late? Tune in next time for Chapter 7: "The Day of Reckoning"...**


	8. Chapter 7: The Day of Reckoning

**_...  
_**

 ** _Sonic and Sash: Tides of Chaos 2  
Bad Bloodlines  
Act 2_**

 _Chapter 7: The Day of Reckoning_

"It is time." Merga spoke, her tail slowly hitting the floor of the deck in the hangar as she waited for Corazon and AAA to arrive. "Today is the day that Avalice will fall, and the kingdoms burn. They will not be able to stop the destruction that will unfold... and that little group of ruffians will be powerless to stop me." Soon enough Corazon and AAA had strode into the hanger, Merga turning to face them. "I assume you've disposed of the dirty wyvern and her little toy?"

"Yes, my lady." Corazon replied sweetly, bowing. "They won't interfere with your grand plans again. I have made sure of this."

"Good." She spoke, getting into the cockpit of the Bakunawa. "We are ready to begin the attack. Greasemonkey, you are to assist me on this mission. Provide cover fire for me while I destroy the city."

"Y-you got it boss!" AAA said, saluting. Merga merely snorted before syncing herself up into the mainframe system, before the Bakunawa slid out the back of the Sigwada, deploying into the skies of Avalice. The instant Merga had left, Corazon's cold demeanor returned... though this time she had a cold grin as she looked at AAA.

"AAA." She spoke. "You know what to do."

She knew that he knew the plan and his expression shown that he indeed remembered it. The little 'act' would last until the signal from Agent Krimson to 'retreat' and back off came.

"R-roger!" AAA replied, hoping into his mech. "I-I'll make this look as so realistic as possible s-so that way she's n-not gonna be thinking o-otherwise!"

"Good." She spoke. "After all, I have some extra business to attend to." She said, turning and walking away from the hangar, before hitting a button on her wrist communicator. "Agent Krimson, Agent Astron, do you read?"

"Loud and clear mate!" One voice said.

"Roger." Another voice said. "What is it?"

"I need you two to lead the 'assault' against the Bakunawa's attack and make sure no one gets close to the treasury bank storage." She said. Knowing what they were about to protest with, she pre-empted them. "Zao's got most of his money overseas or hidden in the other kingdoms. He won't even notice the money in that particular bank's gone. Just do your job. Understood?"

"Understood mate." The one voice said. "We'll make sure the wankas are outta your fur for the entire thing. They won't suspect a bloody thing."

"One more thing." Corazon said. "If the rest of the little ragtag group led by a kitsune and my sister show up... don't mingle with or attack them. Stay focused on the job. Oh and as friendly reminder, do not bring harm to my sister. If I find that you deliberately touched a hair of her fur, you will regret ever having been born. This is a statement, not a threat."

"Yes, Corazon." The other voice spoke. "They won't be interacted with."

"Good." She said, walking into the main deck. "Now get to work." She then cut the transmission, getting seated into the pilot's seat of the ship as she set the course.

* * *

"Uch, this day couldn't get any worse!" Carol said from her bike. "We've lost all communication with Sonic and Sash, Cory's got the weapon in her hands, and we're running low on time to stop them!"

"Well we can't afford to waste any time right now!" Tails said from the Tornado. "If the kingdoms go under, there's no guarantee she's gonna stop there! She could potentially go on to completely destroy every major city on Mobius and Avalice!"

"Well we can't allow that!" Amy said, twirling her hammer a bit as she held onto the wing. "We gotta get there and save as much as we can before that psycho rips it apart!"

Tails nodded. "Carol! You and I will take the west sector! Milla, Amy, Cream, you girls cover the east sector!"

"Got it!" Milla spoke.

"Right!" Cream replied.

"We'll do this!" Amy answered. "Take the fight right to them!"

Tails smirked as they came up on the entrance to Shang Mu... with the large robotic dragon overhead, snaking about as if it was getting ready to strike. "Alright guys, time for action!" With that, the group split up off into the city right as the Bakunawa had started firing off its weapon systems...

* * *

Corazon watched in satisfaction as the Bakunawa begun its assault on the kingdom, meaning that her agents were en route to 'intercept' and 'drive off' the attacker. Soon enough, the cloaked Sigwada was in position above the massive bank. A cold, strangely smug grin that clashed with her cold, emotionless eyes drawn itself on her face as her plan came together. She hit a button on her chair. Several bombs, also cloaked, dropped into the top of the building and then detonated, blowing the roof to shreds. Several Avalicians screamed and panicked as all of a sudden, drones begun to fall from the skies and to fire all over the place, none of them noticing that all the machines were deliberately missing. Soon enough, everyone had either evacuated the main halls or hid in safe rooms, leaving the coat clear for Corazon as she descended from the ship to take care of business herself. She playfully twirled her sister in her hand, satisfied as she walked in.

She snorted at the cowardice of the Avalicians. Mindless cattle, the lot of them. So easy to predict and mold to her liking. By the time any security forces realize what's wrong, she will be long gone.

Reaching the front of a massive vault door, Corazon stood back as her drones got to work to crack it open. To her satisfaction, the lock was soon opened, several drones taking position to disable the security system and prevent the alarms from being triggered. But then, her left ear twitched and she leaped to the side. Just in time too, as a series of icicle blades and cards tore through the security drones that acted as her escort. She glanced back, annoyed, before turning to face a familiar half-panda and snowcat, as well as a taller cloaked figure with a golden helmet wielding a familiar bladed staff.

"It's been a while... Corazon..." The figure spoke, the tone none too pleased Corazon was standing there.

"You are wasting my time." Corazon said, her tone cold.

"Aren't you curious why we are here?" The figure said, noticing Corazon was both silent and still as usual. It sighed and then continued on. "Fine, I'll provide the narration then. I'm finishing a job that should have been done years ago; removing you from your position in life."

Corazon merely coldly smirked. "So not only are you wasting my time but you are wasting your own as well." She merely said. "Still acting as if you had a measure of control over me, or your own life for the matter. Pathetic, if you ask me. If you were half as smart as you think you are, you would have let go of this. You know very well that you will get nothing out of this. For one who uphold 'honor' so much, you sure are persistent in your revenge. After all, there is no honor in revenge."

"There isn't." The figure spoke. "However, I wouldn't consider the slaughter of an entire species exactly 'honorable' either."

"I care not for your honor." Corazon spoke, slowly starting to walk to the side, her piercing glare locked upon the figure. "Funny how attached you are to mere flesh. How you throw away your rationality for a bunch of walking fossils. Their lives have no value. Their deaths brought more to the universe than the sum combined of their lifetimes."

"You're sick." Natalya growled. "You really think this is what our world wants? The burning of the kingdoms and deaths of millions of innocent lives?"

"You know nothing." Corazon spoke coldly. Natalya merely motioned to Spade and Neige before they nodded and ran off as Corazon continued. "You never were involved in anything of importance. You have no idea of the stakes for anything. Do you believe yourself some kind of hero?"

Natalya's fists tightened. "You're not getting the message, are you Corazon? You think you can just come in and play god, don't you?"

"Play god?" Corazon's cold monotone actually broke as her voice filled with derision. "Excuses created by weak minds for justifying their jealousy toward those who have actual control and power over the world and its fate. And I am surprised you would use this expression as an insult, given you, like so many ignorants, have chosen to continue to put a species of reptiles on a pedestal even after their mortal nature was exposed for all to see."

Natalya merely growled. "I should have sentenced you to death when I had the chance." She spoke. "It's clear you can't be reasoned with at all."

"You have nothing of value to say." Corazon's voice was back to its previous monotone. "Your words are dust in the wind."

"Silence." Natalya spoke. "Such insolence from you will not be tolerated by Avalice any more." She spoke, brandishing her bladed staff. "Your terror ends tonight Corazon."

Corazon glared, eyes narrowed, her expression unimpressed. Then, recovering her smug grin, she extended her claws. "If you had kept your friends with you, you might have been a distraction. But if you are truly this desesperate to leave this mortal coil, then who am I to protest? I'll indulge you just this once. Let's play."

"You understimate me." Natalya countered before dashing forward and swiping at Corazon with the staff. The wildcat had merely dodged to the side before intercepting with a kick straight to the jaw, knocking the Head Scarf back a bit as she stumbled before she shook her head, shaking off the pain before Corazon had dashed forward at her, ready to deliver a slash with her claws. Natalya immediately counteracted with an attempted tendril whip, though it soon proved fruitless as Corazon had cancelled out her slash and grabbed onto her tendril before swinging her around and throwing her into a wall. Natalya bounced off the wall before hitting the ground, almost immediately getting back up before she had countered a smashing kick from the wildcat with of a kick of her own, the legs smashing against eachother harshly before the two lept backwards away from eachother, glaring daggers.

"I admire your persistence Corazon, but you know how this will end!" Natalya spoke. "You won't come out on top at the end of all this!"

Corazon didn't answer the taunt verbally, merely standing up smirking confidently. Then, after a short moment, seeing her opponent not moving, the wildcat's confidence grew further. "You are arrogant. A crippling weakness typical of your kind. Look around yourself. Your kingdom burns, your villages are ruins filled with corpses, your legacy is falling apart, your greatest heroes have fallen. After all that time, all this effort spent trying to stop me, what have you achieved? You are nothing. Less than nothing."

"Silence yourself." Natalya growled. "You have no respect from me."

"That's a funny word, isn't it? Let's talk 'Respect', since we both have time to waste on meaningless dialogue." Corazon said, her tone not shifting. "Where were you when I was awakening my puppet and its tool? Or when I was burning away the reptiles from this world's surface? Or during the Brevon Crisis? Or the Mobius-Avalice Eggman conflict? You are a coward with big words hiding behind a ragtag bunch of mercenaries. All of the power you claim to have only exist in your head."

"Sociopathy was always the downfall of many thieves and murderers of legend." Natalya retorted. "You won't succeed. People like you will never succeed."

The wildcat rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Those words are oddly similar to what a deeply stupid warrior told me the night before he found out firsthand that acidic monoblades are as destructive as advertised."

Natalya froze. "What... What would you know about...?"

"That's for me to know and for you never to find out." Corazon spoke. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm bored now."

The very second Corazon had finished her last sentence, she was right at Natalya's side, smashing the palm of her hand straight into her forehead and making her kneel over. The wildcat grabbed the dragoness by the horns and before she even finished kneeling over, smashed her knee straight into her muzzle hard enough to send her flying backward. She let go with one hand, holding her by the left horn and causing the dragoness to rotate, the cat grabbing her by one of her tendrils and yanking her back, sending a second, even more brutal knee strike, this time straight into her back and spinal cord.

Natalya had a fraction of a second to get out of this before Corazon snapped her neck. She quickly used her legs to spin, forcing Corazon to back off as to not eat a Cyclone. Standing in defiance, Natalya glared at her opponent.

"Not if I have a say on it." Natalya growled, before dashing straight ahead at Corazon.

Unfortunately, the audio cue had allowed the wildcat to easily predict the attack. She effortlessly sidestepped out of the way of Natalya's Dragon Dash. Natalya came out of her dash only for Corazon to snatch her by the neck and slam her so hard into the wall it cracked the concrete. This was followed by a flurry of kicks, Corazon's leg striking so fast it looked like a blur of green. Natalya brought her arms and tendril whipping forward, once again forcing the feline to back off.

"Hmph, not bad." Natalya growled.

"You have improved. You are not yet dead." Corazon returned. "Your technique is inferior though. It is only a matter of time before the damage pile up and slow you down enough for me to finish you off. Case in point..." Natalya had barely any time to react before Corazon twisted around and grabbed her leg, whirled her around before released her into the wall. Natalya slammed hard against it, hitting the ground with a dull thud, her fists clenched tightly. Corazon dashed forward, her claws extended for a nasty Wild Claw at the dragon. Natalya foresaw this and ducked as the wildcat soared over her, but soon was caught off guard as Corazon rebounded off the wall and delivered a smashing kick straight to her gut. Natalya let out a wheeze, the air knocked out of her lungs as she hit the floor hard. Corazon dusted herself as she stood over the body of the semi-crippled Head Scarf.

"If I had executed a spin attack instead of a kick as my follow-up, you would be dead." The wildcat stated before kneeling down to look at the dragoness. "However, you are so incompetent that your continued survival ensure the Red Scarves will never be a threat to my plans. So I will leave you with a choice. You can return to the Red Scarves, knowing your continued presence further my purpose or you may take your own life so that somebody more competent may take your place. Either way, I'll just leave you here."

She tilted her head and put an obviously fake, exaggerated sweet smile on her face. "Isn't it poetic? You left my the eldest Tea to die in her time of need. So now, you are left to die as well when foolishly trying to harm another Tea."

As she got up, her smile vanished and she glared openly at Natalya. "Now piss off and stay out of affairs beyond your understanding and position in life. Next time you waste my time like this, I'm painting the walls with your innards."

She then walked away, not even looking back as new drones moved in and quickly begun to load up the money. As she left the room, she opened her comm unit. "AAA."She spoke. "Progress."

"S-so far so good b-boss!" AAA replied. "Wh-what's up? Y-you ready to head out?"

"All clear." Corazon answered. "Relay to agent Krimson to start the 'charge' now. And make it look believable."

"R-roger!" AAA spoke.

"Now, I have some business to attend to on Mobius, so, if that lizard asks where I am, tell her that I'm out for a bit and will be unable to be reached. If she insist, point her out toward some village or something. Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

"G-got it!" AAA said before closing the comm unit. Corazon cracked her knuckles and then ran up one of the walls, quickly leaving the structure. A couple of drones would carry her back to the ship soon enough ; it's time to move on.

"Head Scarf!" A voice said as the half-panda and the snowcat rushed to the dragoness' side. "Head Scarf, are you alright?"

"The only thing wounded is my pride." Natalya growled, standing up, coughing a bit. "Give me a status update. What's the disposition of the Scarves, Spade?"

"Scarves are currently at work driving back the drones Corazon's ship has sent out across Shang Mu." Spade spoke. "Nothing is able to stop the massive dragon mech that the other is piloting though, and her assistant is still running mad out there."

"Figures..." Natalya growled, before she looked to the snowcat. "Neige. Find Carol or Sash and relay the the information of what Corazon said. I have a feeling that whatever she is planning will definitely not be beneficial to this world's survival."

"Understood, Head Scarf." The snowcat said, nodding, before leaving and leaping up the walls and out of the building.

"Spade." She spoke again. "Rally the other Scarves. We have business to attend to." The half-panda merely nodded before the two took off out of the building.

* * *

The sound of wheels grinding against steel resounded against the clashing sounds as Carol's bike shredded another drone she ran over, her face growing more and more annoyed with each second. "Come ON!" She growled, gripping the front of her bike tightly. "How many of these damn things ARE there?!"

"Carol!" Tails yelled. "Watch your six!"

"Sheeesh!" Carol hissed, her ears flat against her head as a large laser blast flashed above her head. "I am getting sick of all these goddamn drones! The sooner we get all these things off our backs, the better our lives are!"

"You got that right!" Tails yelled, shooting a blast of drones behind him. "There's too many of them conde-" He started to say before he gasped in pain from a blast to the back falling to the ground.

"Tailsy!" Carol cried before driving over and scooping him up onto the cycle before continuing her drive away from the drone swarm. "Hold on Tailsy, we're gonna get through this!"

"Nnnngh..." Tails groaned, the searing pain shooting through his back. "A-as I was saying... these drones are too condensed with how they're acting. They're like a hive mind, whi-"

"Which means there has to be an alpha drone!" Carol finished. "Quick, Tails, you see anything that looks like the alpha?"

"Let m-me see..." Tails said, squinting to look at the gigantic swarm of drones chasing after them before pointing. "There! That one, with the gold accents!"

Carol nodded. "Got it. Give me your blaster." She said before the kitsune handed her the blaster, before she aimed her blaster backwards at the group of drones, blasting several Fire Bombs out at the drones, the explosions either shredding them or disrupting their sensors and causing them to fall. "Ah jeez, they're blocking up my shots! I can't get a lock!"

"Need a hand?" A voice yelled before seveal massive icicle spikes impaled through the drones.

"Timing's never been better Neige!" Carol replied. "Where the hell were you?!"

"Tending to some business with Head Scarf!" Neige replied, throwing another slew of icicle spikes at the drones. "We can discuss later! We need to get these drones out!"

"Aim for the gold one!" Carol yelled. Neige nodded and formed another icicle spear, hurling it with all her energy. The spear pierced through the drones before striking the gold drone, causing it to burst into pieces and the surrounding drones to shut down, falling to the ground out of the skies in the surrounding area.

"Nice shot!" Carol said. "C'mon, we got more drones to clear out in the next district!"

"Then I shall assist!" Neige spoke, before their group headed off for another sector of the attacked city...

* * *

"Eat this you oversized can opener!" The pink hedgehog had yelled as her hammer had smashed an attack drone into another one like a baseball bat. "Cream, ya holding up over there?!"

"T-t-trying my best!" The young rabbit responded as she fired another energy blast from her mechanical arm at another drone. "There's too many of them!"

"Just hold your ground as best you can!" Amy yelled. "We gotta hold these off until Tails finds a way to stop that giant death weapon!"

"O-okay!" Cream shrieked as a drone whizzed by her. "J-just expect there's g-gonna be a few straglers!"

"More than ready for that!" Amy answered, smashing another drone to pieces...

* * *

"Heh, now wouldja look at that..." An armored figure said from on top of the roof of the royal palace, watching the wanton destruction happening in the city by the large robotic dragon. "Nothin' but bloody chaos out there. Typical. Corzy's prob'ly got the things she needs by now." At that point a buzzing had came from his wrist gauntlet, and soon enough the figure pressed a feathered finger to the gauntlet that opened up the communications channel.

"A-a-agent Krimson!" AAA's voice rattled over the comm. "B-boss has gotten what she wanted, now play y-your part and 'd-drive' Merga back out of the city! If th-this works, this should b-be like r-rubbing salt on t-the wound a-and seriously demotivate th-the little group of r-rebels really good!"

"Right then Battery." The figure spoke. "I'll get the troops into attack. Zao may have a lotta power but he's right dumb as a brick. He don't suspect a thing."

"Y-yeah yeah, just hurry up!" AAA yelled. "Th-the less drones w-we lose th-the better!"

"Alright." The figure said. "Krimson out." He then changed the communication channel on his gauntlet to the Shang Mu defense forces frequency. "Alright mates, let's get a bloody move-on! We've got a bloomin' deathship attacking our city, now get out there and defend this city!"

Not long after the figure had given the command had the military forces came out and started firing upon the Bakunawa and AAA's mech. The diversion was set, now for it to play out...

"B-B-B-boss!" AAA fake-panicked over the comm to Merga. "W-we got major problems! We've g-got the entire armies of a-a-all the kingdoms diverging in on us! We gotta fall b-back!"

"What nonsense are you spouting about, you little runt?" The dragon growled. "They will fall before me like nothing!"

"N-no, seriously!" AAA feigned. "Th-the Bakunawa isn't u-up to full power yet! W-we're only at 50% of p-power for it! Th-the invulnerability shields a-aren't back online yet!"

"...then why have you not told me this before you idiot?!" Merga growled as the Bakunawa got hit by a blast. In front of the Bakunawa was the mass amounts of guards and technological machines in front, moving towards the Bakunawa, and judging from the amount of firepower the armies had, and the fact that at the head of it was Zao's top officer Captain Kalaw, aiming an energy gauntlet blast straight at the Bakunawa, it was clear this wasn't going to be pretty.

"Oh what's that mate?" Kalaw said, a cocky smirk on his beak. "Thought you could bloody get away with destroying our city, eh? Well, might wanna think about that again with your shoddy little toys before messing with our power!" With that he fired a blast from his gauntlet at the large mech, and soon enough the rest of the armies were firing upon the large weapon itself.

"Grrr... remind me to severely punish you once this is done..." She said, reorienting the Bakunawa before taking off away from the kingdom, AAA following soundly in his mech. He smirked to himself as he soon opened up his comm channel.

"N-nice work Krimson!" AAA said. "Sh-she fell for it! N-now everything sh-should play out into o-our hands!"

"Alright mate." The voice responded. "Once Zao sees the destruction, he'll have the freakout of a lifetime and turn the little wanka's group away for being 'useless'. Heck, maybe we'll get a little bonus and Corzy's little runt of a sister will actually join the winning side."

"A-awww, then I don't get the fun of filling all of those runts w-with motlen lead! I-it's always fun hearing them s-scream in pain f-from burning from the i-inside!"

"Yeah, and who will we have to answer to when we'd be the ones responsible for killing the boss's sister, eh?" The voice said sarcastically. "I suggest if ya wanna keep ya bloody head still on ya shoulders, you'd know better than messin' with the boss's sister!"

"Alright a-a-alright!" AAA groaned. "L-lay off my back!" He grumbled as he had taken off in his mech after Merga and the Bakunawa...

* * *

"Guys!" Amy said as the two groups met back up. "You all okay?"

"F-fine for the most p-part." Tails said, holding his chest in pain. "Took a nasty hit back there though..."

"Oh my..." Cream said, rushing to the kitsune. "You're not badly hurt, are you?"

"J-just a bit shaken up and burnt, nothing serious..." Tails said, getting off Carol's bike. "What about you guys? What's the damage?"

"A couple scratches, a few bruises, nothing life-threatening." Amy said.

"A couple severed wires on my arm, I'm kind of afraid that might have affected my joint articulation." Cream said, carefully moving her metal arm.

"I-I'll take a look at it once we get back to the treehouse." Tails stuttered, lightly leaning on the rabbit before the group had gathered some rather... unwanted attention.

"There they are mate." Kalaw's voice said as an angry Mayor Zao stormed up to them. "I'll just stay out of this and leave this to you."

"Thank you Kalaw." Zao said. "At least I can rely on someone around here..." He said before turning to the group. "As for YOU five, words can't describe the utter rage I am feeling for what failures you are at protecting MY city! I've hired you on several contracts and yet you can't even keep my city from being blown apart twice in one week! ONE WEEK!"

"M-Mayor Zao, please-" Tails started but was immediately cut off by the red panda.

"No, no, I've already made up my mind after all this. Your group is officially barred from any more contracts originating from my proud kingdom and from ever entering into here again. Now make yourselves useful and get out before I have you arrested."

"You can't be serious!" Carol growled, stepping in front of Zao. "Aren't you worried about the credibility you're gonna lose by doing this? Doesn't any of that even concern you?!"

"It would have concerned me before, but right now I'm only doing what's best for my kingdom." Zao said, smacking Carol out of the way. "After all, I wouldn't want to hire someone from a traitorous pack of furballs."

"Wh-what..." Carol said, slightly trembling from what Zao had just said.

"You have heard me." Zao spoke again. "Now leave before I have Kalaw arrest you and your little group."

Carol's fists clenched and tears formed in her eyes, her breathing becoming short and tensed before she ran to her bike and got on, driving off away from the group...

"Carol!" Tails called, starting chase after her. "CAROL!"

Cream sighed. "Oh no..."

"Great. Just great." Amy sighed. "Now we've lost both our leaders AND our tech experts. That's it huh? We're just supposed to give up now and go home?"

"No." Milla said, her fists tightening. "We do the right thing."

"And that's?" Cream asked.

Milla turned to what was left of the group. "Finishing what we started."

"If it's any help." Neige spoke. "I have some information to deliver from the Head Scarf. Corazon apparently has business to attend to on Mobius after she stole the money from the treasury hold in the city. If there's any way of finding your friends and Corazon, that has to be where they are."

"Then we'll do it my way." Milla spoke. "Amy. Cream. Do either of you two know how to fly the Tornado?"

"Well, Tails taught me." Amy said. "Why?"

"I want you two to take the Tornado and head after the Sigwada to Mobius." Milla spoke. "Corazon might have something brewing if she's heading there by herself. And another thing. If you can... find Sonic and Sash. I can still sense their life forces out there, so it's more than likely that she's keeping them alive from inside the ship. Please... find them."

Amy nodded. "I'm not about to let my friends die yet." She said, looking to Cream. "Let's go." Cream nodded before the two took off for the Tornado.

"What about you?" Neige asked, looking at Milla.

"I'm going after Merga." Milla spoke. "I smell something fishy brewing in this entire thing, and some events seem a bit too... convenient for all this to happen."

"You think there might be conspiracy?"

"I don't think, I'm near certain there's one." Milla said, looking at Neige. "And I want you to come with me."

"What? Why?"

"I'll need some extra help." Milla answered. "I can't do this alone."

Neige merely nodded. "Very well." Milla nodded, then the two took off after the Bakunawa...

* * *

 **A group divided, morale shredded, and lives on the line. With Tails having gone after the distraught Carol, Milla takes charge and sets out to finish what Sonic and Sash started. Will the last of the group be able to do the cleanup and stop Corazon, or has the shattered morale ruined the group for good? And... is it possibly too late for Sonic and Sash? Find out next time on Chapter 8: " _Project Tea_ "...**


	9. Chapter 8: Project Tea

**_..._**

 ** _Sonic and Sash: Tides of Chaos 2  
Bad Bloodlines  
Act 2_**

 _Chapter 8: Project Tea_

"Hey... Amy?" Cream asked from the back seat of the Tornado. "You really think that basset girl means that Mr. Sonic and Miss Sash are still alive?"

"In all honesty Cream..." Amy said as she flew the Tornado over Mobius's atmosphere. "I really don't know if I can trust her about them still being alive."

"How come?" Cream asked.

"Well... maybe it's because I wasn't as a developed mystic as she seems to be, but..." Amy said. "I just don't sense any sort of life force like she can."

"Wait, you used to be a mystic?" Cream asked, curious.

"Well, sorta..." Amy said. "I used to delve into tarot cards and the like when I was young. It never really got further past that though; I can't levitate, I can't read minds, nothing like that. I just developed some good precognition, that's all."

"Huh..." Cream said, leaning to the side of her seat a bit, looking down on the Mobian ocean. "Hey... how close are we compared to that ship thing we're supposed to be following?"

"We're seventeen-hundred meters away, just barely outside their radar detection if they have any." Amy said, keeping focused on the sky ahead. "Once we find out where she's going, we'll do our part and sneak in."

"Hmm..." Cream said, before her leg accidently bumped open a compartment, a dull yellow diamond falling out of it. "Huh? What's this?"

"What's what?" Amy asked.

"This yellow diamond thing?" Cream asked.

Amy's mind clicked. "Oh that! That's the fake Emerald from back during the ARK incident." She said. "Hold onto that, it might be useful."

Cream nodded, putting the fake Emerald into her pocket as Amy tracked the Sigwada to Westside Island's Hilltop Heights...

* * *

Several Egg Pawns were wandering around a remote area of the Zone, the lead gold one, the leader of the small group holding a lance and shield, stopped for a second before looking behind it.

"Alright bots, let's keep those servos moving here." The gold Egg Pawn said. "We've still got a lot of ground to cover to make sure the doc's base isn't discovered by Sonic or his pals. Can't have us slacking off on the job and end up taking the blame this time around."

"But why our regime?" An Egg Pawn with a bazooka said. "It's not like Eggman pays us or anything."

"He DOESN'T pay us anything you bolt brain." Another Egg Pawn said. "Get your motherboard cleaned out when we get back to the base."

"I don't even know where the repair bay IS!" The Egg Pawn replied.

"Now settle down, both of you." The gold Egg Pawn said. "We'll get the differences settled once we're done with our scouting. Now let's get going."

"And why are you the leader again?" The bazooka Egg Pawn said.

"Because I'm gold, that's why!" The gold Egg Pawn retorted. "Now let's go!"

"Uh, boss?" The other Egg Pawn said.

"What now?" The leader said, annoyed.

"Look up." The Egg Pawn replied, pointing ahead of him. The other Egg Pawns looked up to see the massive airship gliding overhead. The gold Egg Pawn put a finger to the side of its head and hit a button.

"Dr. Robotnik, this is Gold Pawn 4372 of the Orbinaut division." He spoke. "We have an unidentified airship heading for the base. Immediate action might be required in order to deal with this."

"So, whaddaya think might be in that thing?" The bazooka Egg Pawn said.

"Dunno." The other Egg Pawn said. "Didn't look like a G.U.N. airship..."

* * *

It wasn't long before the airship had pulled into the hidden hangar entrance within the rocky blue mountain face, settling down inside it. Multitudes of Egg Pawns and Badniks rushed at the landing craft, weapons drawn or battle ready as the ship touched down inside the hangar. The bots readied their aim at the opening hatch before the green wildcat stepped out, nearly having what appeared to be over a hundred blaster barrels pointed straight at her.

"State your business." The Egg Pawn closest said. "Failure to comply will result in your extermination and commandeering of your ship."

"I'll just make it short." Corazon coldly quipped. "I wish to speak to your creator."

"And on what terms should we have you see him?" A robotic voice said, different from the Egg Pawns. The bots parted to see none other than a familiar robotic blue hedgehog walking towards the intruding wildcat. "He doesn't have time to deal with 'unwanted visitors' after our failure nearly three years ago. Now give me one good reason as to why we shouldn't immediately force you out of her right now."

"Well... I guess you could say..." Corazon spoke, a cold grin showing up on her face as she pulled out a green diamond. "I have a couple of... 'bargaining chips' to work with."

"Doc doesn't take expensive jewelry as a bargaining chip lady." One Egg Pawn said. "Now turn around an-" was all that came out of the robot's voice module before a sharp punch came to the side of its head from the metal hedgehog.

"My apologies." The robotic hedgehog said. "Now, this way." He said, leading Corazon out of the hangar. The bots were starting to converse confusedly among themselves so much to not even notice the pink and cream-colored figures sneaking into the hangar.

"Alright, so they're somewhere in there... there must be an access vent somewhere on the underside of that ship." Amy said from behind the large wooden crate where she was hiding. "Only problem is... this base hangar is so wide open we'll be spotted unless we find another way to get under that ship..."

"I would think Eggman would have a ventilation system running under the entire floor of this area. It'd be the only way to get enough air circulating through here and not make it stuffy."

"Wouldn't it only be for Eggman though?" Amy said. "I doubt his robots would need to breathe."

"This is the same person that tried to make an amusement park out of genociding an alien race and put a swimming pool on an airship." Cream responded flatly. "He'd almost certainly put something like this in his base."

"Duly noted." Amy said. "Now, where's an access vent we can enter?"

"There might be one under this crate." Cream said, starting to push the crate with her robotic arm. "Give me a hand."

Amy nodded before the two pushed the giant wooden crate, showing a vent cover. Cream used her robotic arm and unhooked the cover before Amy hopped in, Cream right behind her before she closed up the vent cover, right before an Egg Pawn walked by.

"Uhh, did you guys see something?" The Egg Pawn said to the other two walking with him.

The other two Egg Pawns shook their heads. "Nope." One said.

"I didn't see anything." The other said.

"Odd... I could've sworn I saw something..."

* * *

The low hum of the elevator was the only noise as it ascended to the top floor above the hangar, soon opened out to a long class windowed hallway above the hangar. Slowly Corazon had walked, the metal hedgehog keeping a close eye on her. Soon enough the door to the main room above the hangar opened, showing the room inside, with a familiar round shaped man with a large mustache sitting in a massive white chair overlooking what appeared to be schematics. Several designs of what looked like the previous Death Eggs were sprawled about.

"Doctor." The robotic hedgehog spoke. "You have a visitor."

"Very well Metal." The egg-shaped doctor said. "You are dismissed." Metal nodded before leaving the room, leaving Corazon with the egg-shaped doctor.

"Alright now..." He said, looking up, pressing his hands together. "Exactly what business do you have with me?"

Corazon didn't waste a second and stated, matter of factly, what she came for. "I require your expertise and some blueprints."

She didn't let him answer, pre-empting him. "I know you are not for hire. But I am aware that you are short on resources, given your latest defeat and the Mobian and Avalician governments having cooperated to freeze your usual assets."

The feline took out a massive case and opened it, showing it off. "Avalician unmarked bills, untraceable. This should be more than enough to put your finances back into order."

Eggman looked at the money intriguingly. "Hmmm... you've definitely come to the right scientist then." He said, standing up. "Normally I would go off into a long spiel about who I am, however, I'm not feeling it, so I'll just be quick about it. Dr. Ivo Robotnik. What blueprints are you exactly wishing to 'acquire' I should say?"

Corazon simply took out a portable device from one of her pockets and shown it off. "I would not waste my time asking you for your exclusive technology. On another hand, as you can clearly see, this is an engineering problem beyond the minds of common Avalicians and Mobians alike. It should not be a problem to you, though."

There was a brief pause. Her body did not give much in the way of body language ; in fact, if it wasn't from her controlled but still noticeable breathing, one would think she was just as mechanical as the metallic hedgehog machine that had brought her in.

Eggman smirked. "Well then, that makes my task twice as easy." He spoke. "Now then, show me what this child's play is."

Corazon approached and then, shown him the blueprint more exactly. Apparently, it involved modifying an Egg Carrier-like airship for compatibility with a massive weapon. However, the shape was wrong ; this was an Avalician model. Not a big problem. The interesting point was... the systems needed to be reconfigured for compatibility with Chaos Emeralds.

This was a very noticeable difference ; thanks to the Kingdom Vortex, no Avalician vehicle made use of Chaos Energy. The only reason one might possibly want an Avalician vehicle modified to be compatible with Chaos Energy is if they wanted to install a system that would require an absolutely insane amount of power, even more than a FTL drive.

... such as, say, the Bakunawa's main cannon.

"I assume you got a bunch of spare fake Chaos Emeralds on hand?" it was a strange clash. To lead in to her second request so casually and yet, for her voice to remain as cold and mechanical as before.

"Well... fake Chaos Emeralds aren't exactly easy to make." Eggman answered. "However..." He grinned as he hit a button on a remote, soon causing a hatch to descend from the ceiling, showing a red diamond and a green diamond on two seperate small glass pedestals; the other five slots were empty. "I do have two of the Emeralds themselves, which should be handy." He said, grinning.

This definitely got the feline's attention. This... was even better than expected. Though her face remained the same, her gaze did linger on the emeralds long enough to show he indeed got her attention.

"Interesting." she said, a bit slower than usual. "I believe I might throw in an extra payment, for genuine Chaos Emeralds."

She pressed a few buttons on her device and then it displayed the image of a particular hedgehog. "I have no use for this. But I think you may have an interest in it."

Eggman smirked. "Ah... now then, what shall be the tradeoff? The two Emeralds for the hedgehog?" In the back of his mind thoughts were racing of what he could do now that Sonic was in his possession...

"That is certainly a fair tradeoff, I believe." Corazon said. She decided that she would keep the lizard with her. Keeping the two separated will decrease the chances that they'll mess things up should they somehow recover and beside, she predict Eggman will probably slip up and cause whatever prisoner he gets to escape. Sonic may be mightier physically but if he gets free, he is far more likely to get bogged down stopping whatever scheme Eggman will cook up using the resources she's now giving him.

Sure, it will only keep the hedgehog occupied for so long... but that won't be a factor much longer now.

Eggman smirked. "My fair lady, you have yourself a deal." He said. "Egg Pawns! Move the prisoner on board the hold to the prison bay in the base! And make sure he's... 'comfortable'." There was a hint of malice at the end of his line, accompanied by a smirk.

Corazon straightened herself, hands joined behind her back. "I believe our business here is concluded?"

"Just about." Eggman spoke. "One thing, however. You'll have to track down the rest of the Emeralds by yourself using those ones. I personally haven't been all that successful in finding them, so if you're going to want all of them, well... I think that should be clear enough." He said, hands behind his back.

"Thank you for your time."

Of course, she will not need all of the Emeralds. In fact, her initial plan had involved none of them, simply the use of fake ones. While the power of genuine Emeralds might be nice, she was wary of attracting attention toward her real plan. Two genuine Emeralds should be more than enough.

Her business included, she bowed briefly, closing her eyes as she did so, and then walked away. While Eggman fulfill his part of the bargain, she'll have to make sure everything is going as planned with AAA...

* * *

"How close are we getting to under the ship Amy?" Cream asked from behind the pink hedgehog as they crawled through the vent to under the massive airship.

"We're almost there." Amy said. "We should be able to sneak in if the vents are aligned just right..." Her voice trailed off as she saw what appeared to be a burnt blue hedgehog being pulled away out of the ship, more than likely off to another prison hold. The hedgehog's fists tightened.

"Cream." Amy spoke. "Eggman's boltbrains are taking Sonic off to another section of the base. "I'll handle getting into the ship and getting Sash out of there. Think you can get Sonic out of there?"

Cream nodded. "I can try..."

"Try isn't going to cut it Cream." Amy said. "We need to succeed. Milla and the others are counting on us."

Cream nodded again. "I'll get him out of there."

"Alright, get moving." She said. Cream nodded before climbing off through another vent while Amy quietly slid open the grate above her. She quickly poked her head out of the vent, making a quick scan of the area before reaching up and opening a vent hatch on the bottom of the ship. Quickly and quietly, she climbed up into the ship before she closed the hatch behind her...

She sat inside the vent, letting out a sigh. "Alright, that part is done." She murmured to herself. "Now to find Sash. She should be somewhere in here..." She said as she started crawling through the vent...

* * *

The hornless dragon sighed, leaning against the back of her cell as looked back up at the ceiling, tears starting to stream down her trembling cheeks now that she was truly and fully alone. Several Egg Pawns had already came to take Sonic away to somewhere else, and she didn't bother looking, but she could tell Corazon had came just to look down on her, smirking as the whole process went without a word.

She sighed again. For the first time in a long while she was truly and utterly alone again; no might, no tendrils, no morale...

...no hope.

For the first time in a long while, not ever since she broke down that badly since the Brevon Incident, had she done what she had did.

She let out a harsh breath, and started crying. Sobs wracked her entire body as she gasped in sorrow and agony; the pain had become too much for both her physical and mental strain, her sturdy frame shook even more violently with each sob that came from her, her held-back emotions of pain and sorrow coming forward in full force. She would have continued like this for quite some while...

...had it not been for one last light of hope she had just received.

"Psssst! Sash!" A voice wispered. Sash's head snapped up, her ears fully extending at the sound of a familiar voice.

"A-A... Amy?" Sash said, standing up. "Wh-where are y-you?"

"Up here!" The voice said again before the vent cover swung open, the slender figure of the pink hedgehog slipping out of it and landing on her feet. "Don't worry, I'm here t-" She was immediately cut off from an embracing hug from the dragon holding her tightly, almost trembling from her arrival. "H-hey... it's okay..." Amy said, returning the hug, before noticing the scarred metal plates welded to her head. "Oh my god... she did that to you?"

Sash nodded sadly. "Unfortunately s-so... that a-and she h-had electrocuted Sonic."

"Oh now THAT is just being a jerk." Amy growled. "Well, Cream is busy getting him. I wanted to make sure you were safe before anything else."

"A-alright..." Sash said. "Then let's go. With how badly Sonic was hurt, I... I don't know how m-much time he has l-left."

"I'd be more concerned about yourself." Amy said, noticing the small trail of blood coming from the dragon's nose. "What's going on with you?"

"M-my chargers were t-t-trashed." Sash stuttered out, soon coughing hoarsely; Amy would notice the tremble in her mannerisms. "I-I can't Dragon B-B-Boost unless I-I have a d-death wish."

"Chargers?" Amy asked.

"Y-yeah... I need those to s-survive." Sash choked out. "Th-they give me e-energy. But without those, I-I can't feel n-normal... I f-feel like I'm on f-fire..."

"How much time do you have?" Amy asked, concerned.

"A-At this rate? F-four hours b-before my b-body shuts down c-completely..."

Amy cringed from hearing that come from Sash. "Are you still able to defend yourself?" She asked.

"I-I would if i-it didn't feel like m-my body was being t-torn apart..." Sash managed to choke out. "I-I'm pretty much b-baggage at this point..."

"You're not. I'll get you out of here." Amy said, leaping up into the vent. "Just grab my hands and I'll pull you up, and hurry! The longer we take the more attention we're gonna draw!" Sash weakly nodded before grabbing Amy's hands and was pulled up into the vent before closing the opening behind her.

"Alright... s-so what's the plan w-when we get out of h-here?" Sash asked as the two crawled through the vents, trying to hold back the burning pain inside her body.

"First of all, getting you and Sonic back to Avalice to heal up." Amy said. "Things have... kinda gone to hell since you guys got nailed."

"...how b-badly?" Sash said.

"Well... a red panda guy kinda... said some insensitive things to Carol and caused her to turn her back on the team. Tails went after her." Amy said. "Milla's taken charge for now."

"...alright." Sash said. "I'm g-guessing you don't have any sort of Life Petals o-on you?"

Amy shook her head. "I wasn't expecting you to be this badly scarred up..."

"Any i-in the T-Tornado?"

"I didn't check at all when we had to get here." Amy answered. "Don't worry, we'll get you healed up."

"I-I hope..." Sash was silent as the two continued crawling. "H-Hey Amy?"

"Yeah?"

Sash smiled. "Thanks."

* * *

Cream kept a close watch on the Egg Pawns that were moving Sonic as she crawled through the vent, trying to keep as quiet as possible, though that was semi-difficult since three-fourths of her limbs were metallic. She always froze the instant the Pawns stopped walking and looked up in her direction, a small amount of fear sinking into her heart as she remained still inside the vent until the bots had remained moving again.

"I still don't know how that cat thing managed to catch the hedgehog." The one Egg Pawn said. "I mean, the doc's been trying to do it for several years and he hasn't been able to do it."

"I'd just chock it up to luck." The other Pawn said. "It's not like he's going anywhere in his shape."

"True that." The first Egg Pawn said. "Hey, I wonder if doc's gonna have him be target practice for the other bots."

"I doubt that. He's probably just gonna roboticize him."

"But he already has Metal..."

"Two ain't gonna hurt anything."

"Touche." The other Egg Pawn, typing a code into a cell keypad. The laser bars lowered before the other Egg Pawn threw Sonic into the cell, the bars coming back up. "So, now what?"

"I think the last shipment of scrap metal needed for that weapon thing should be coming in." The first Egg Pawn said. "That and the exotic butters."

"Well that's goo- wait a minute." The other Egg Pawn said. "Who would order a shipment of exotic butters?!"

"It was probably the chef bots." The first Egg Pawn said. "After all, they were programmed to give the doc extrodinary meals."

"But why butters of all things?!" The two Pawns continued their argument down the hallway, leaving the burnt hedgehog to himself... and the open window for Cream to make her move. Carefully she moved the vent out of the way with her robotic arm before she cropped down into the prison hold and immediately rushed up to the bars.

"M-Mister Sonic!" She spoke, prompting the hedgehog to look up. A small smirk grew on his face.

"Heh, never thought I'd see you here Cream." Sonic said, weakly standing up. "I'm guessing you're here to rescue me?"

Cream nodded. "Milla wanted me and Amy to come here to save you guys and find out what Corazon's up to! Amy should be rescuing Miss Sash right now!"

Sonic smirked. "You really have learned a lot kid." He said. "Though... I don't suppose you know the code to my cell?"

"Let me try..." Cream said before stumbling a bit, the fake Emerald falling out of her pocket. "Oh! S-sorry!"

"Wait..." Sonic said. "Cream... is that the fake Emerald?"

"Th-the one Tails made? Y-yeah..." She said. "Wh-why?"

"Throw it to me inbetween the bars." The hedgehog spoke. "I have an idea." Cream nodded before tossing the Emerald to Sonic. Sonic grabbed it before closing his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Chaos..."

"Huh?" Cream asked.

"Control!" Sonic said, a yellow aura now surrounding him as several bright flashes lit up the room. Cream shielded her eyes as soon enough... Sonic was right next to her. This caused Cream to jump a bit as she stumbled backwards in a gasp.

"Phew..." Sonic sighed. "Haven't done a Chaos Control with this thing in a long time..."

"M-Mister Sonic... are you okay?" Cream asked.

"Well, aside from being slightly charred and a bit shattered on the inside, I'm perfectly fine." Sonic said.

"Can you run?"

"You ask as if you're worried about that." Sonic said, smirking. "Corazon may be good at demoralizing, but she's pretty stupid when it comes to crippling me. If she REALLY was smart, she would've broken my legs." He said, lifting Cream onto his back. "Now c'mon, let's get going."

Cream nodded, before the blue blur sped off down the halls of the base...

* * *

Soon enough the hedgehog and the rabbit had arrived to the main exit into the hangar. Several Egg Pawns and Badniks were scurrying about, applying what appeared to be massive modifications to the Sigwada... a gigantic cannon?

"What are they..." Sonic muttered to himself, before his eyes caught something big: a red and green diamond being carted towards what looked like a closed energy container.

"So, they got Chaos Emeralds do they?" Sonic said to himself. Then an idea sparked in his head as he still had the fake Emerald in his possession. A small semi-sadistic smirk crept up onto his face as he remembered something. "Heh... I think I know how to sabotage this..." He said before looking back to Cream. "Cream, head back through the vents and get out of here. "I'll meet you out there."

Cream looked shocked. "H-hey, are you sure?"

"Just trust me." Sonic said. "I know what I'm doing."

"...okay." Cream said. "I trust you."

Sonic nodded, smirking. "Now get going. I'll be right behind you." Cream nodded before hopping into another vent and started crawling though the vent under the entire place.

Sonic smirked, watching closely for what the Egg Pawns were doing before he made his move. Upon seeing the Pawn placing the green Emerald into a slot after the red Emerald had been placed into another slot on what appeared to be an energy core, Sonic sprung into action, sprinting as fast as he could that most Badniks wouldn't even see him other than possibly a gust of wind as he zipped by the emerald core and swapped out the green emerald with the fake yellow emerald. He smirked as he soon blasted out of the front open door, quickly zipping around the side and hiding outside the side of the door, smirking as he held the green Emerald in his hand.

"Score one for the AvaMerc." He chuckled. "Now just gotta wait for Cream..."

"You rang Mister Sonic?" The rabbit said as she popped out of the vent cover in the rock face behind him.

"Heh, cheeky rabbit." Sonic said. "Alright, so we just gotta wait for Amy and Sash now?"

"Mhm." Cream said. "I hope they make it..."

* * *

The vent shaft on the underside soon popped open before quietly Amy and Sash slipped out of the vent itself, keeping hidden inside the landing gear shadows as Egg Pawns and Badniks had scuttled by. Amy lightly motioned to Sash, who responded with a shaky nod before Amy quickly dashed across and hid behind a couple of crates, Sash shortly and clumsily followed after.

"H-How close are we t-to the exit?" Sash asked.

"The bay doors are just a few hundred feet from here." Amy said. "If we're fast enough, we can get there before the Badniks see us."

Sash merely nodded. Amy held her breath for a second, getting ready to run...

...until the crate behind the two got pushed, knocking the two over into a heap as the scrap spilled out of the box.

"Hey! Be careful with that!" An Egg Pawn yelled as it ran over to the one by the crates. "Doc said no damage to the scrap metal!"

"Sorry." The Egg Pawn at the crates said. "It's my programming."

"Look, let's just get these crates moving before-" The other Egg Pawn said before noticing the spilled-over two in the scrap heap. "Hey... isn't that the priority two hedgehog? The pink one with the death mallet and thing?"

"Wha-" was all that came out of the Egg Pawn before the hammer slammed straight into the two Egg Pawns, knocking them away.

"So much for stealth..." Amy muttered. "Let's go Sash!"

Sash nodded before the two took off across the open area, the volley of fired shots raining upon them as they ran for the opening. Sash did her best to keep up, stumbling a bit from the lack of her tendrils whipping behind her and her bodily convulsions feeling like she was burning alive, while Amy kept hitting the physical shots away from her. It wasn't until a shriek from behind her caused her to stop and look back to a grim sight.

Sash was collapsed on the ground, a thin trail of blood coming out of the back of her vested back, her eyes twitching and her hands shaking slightly as more of the stick crimson liquid dripped out her nose. Amy quickly rushed back and hoisted the dragon onto her back.

"Hold on Sash, I'm not letting you die on me!" She said before taking back off across the hangar floor again. It was at that point that Metal had appeared at the front of the line and fired off a massive charge blast straight at the two. Without even looking back, Amy swung her hammer behind her and deflected the shot away into a wall.

"That was impressive." An Egg Pawn next to Metal Sonic said, looking at it. Metal took one unamused glance straight at the Egg Pawn before decking it in the face and then taking off after the two escapees. Amy was panting from the extra weight Sash had for her to carry across the floor, with the door closing in on them...

With the last of her strength, Amy dives through the closing door with Sash, Metal slamming into the door mere seconds later, leaving an imprint of his figure on the door itself. Amy set Sash off of her as she panted as Sonic and Cream came running to her.

"S-Sash! Amy!" Sonic said before immediately noticing the slicer blade stuck in the back of Sash's vest. "Oh god... Sash, are you still there?"

"B-barely..." Sash choked out, trying to sit up, though every muscle was yelling at her not to. "My b-back feels like its o-on fire t-though..." A sad smile came onto her face. "It's a g-good thing I-I was wearing my c-combat vest, otherwise I w-would have been i-impaled."

Sonic sighed in relief. "Alright, hold still." Sonic said, having Sash lean forward a bit. "This might sting a little..."

"I've felt w-worse..." Sash said. Her muscles tensed and burned as she felt Sonic grasp the Slicer blade and quickly pull it out of her back. A small gasp escaped her mouth as what felt like a sharp pinch shot through her back,spreading into what would have been an inferno of pain across her body. She clenched her teeth, her breathing shaking a bit. "..aa...aaaahh... yeah, d-definitely felt w-worse."

"And neither of us have Life Petals either, do we?" Sonic asked.

"N-Negative..." Sash said, coughing again.

"Oooff..." Amy said, sitting up. "That was too much of a close call."

"You're telling me." Sonic said, pulling out the green Chaos Emerald. "I was at a massive risk just trying to get this."

"A C-Chaos Emerald?!" Sash gasped.

"Mhm." Sonic said. "Apparently Corazon's attaching a Chaos Energy cannon to the Sigwada for its arsenal. I guess you could say with the help of Cream I..." He smirked. "...made a few modifications, since Eggs Benedict had the red and green ones."

Amy smirked. "Heh, never knew you were THAT devious Sonic." Amy said, getting up, not having seen him yet, her shock evident upon seeing his burnt blue fur. "Oh my god... Sonic, what happened to you?"

"Eh..." Sonic said, scratching his ear. "Let's just say that trying to cook a live hedgehog with electric currents doesn't exactly go all that well..."

"Oh jeez..." Amy said, sweatdropping. "Well... you're still alive, that's what counts."

Sonic nodded. "So, what do you guys say? Head back to Avalice?"

Amy nodded. "Our work we needed to do was completed, so yeah, we need to head back."

Sash smiled. "I l-look forward to that." Sash said getting up, but it was evident she was in much worse shape than the hedgehog as her legs trembled severely as she tried to walk before her weight gave out from under her, causing her to fall forward. Sonic immediately rushed to catch her in his arms, hoisting her up.

"How about I carry you back?" Sonic asked.

"Considering I n-nearly fell o-over... a-and the fact I c-can't feel a good p-portion of m-my body... yeah." Sash said, smiling. "Go a-ahead."

"O-oh, one m-more thing." She added. "C-could you guys h-hurry it up a bit? I-I kinda don't want t-the damage to my b-body right now to b-become permanent..."

Sonic nodded. "You're gonna live Sash. I'm not about to let you die."

Sash weakly smiled. "Thanks S-Sonic..."

The group then began their walk back to the Tornado...

* * *

Corazon's eyes narrowed noticeably as she noticed the people on-screen. To say the truth, she was disappointed. She knew that Eggman's minions were of a rather low quality due to their simplistic, idiotic AI routines but she didn't expect them to blow it this badly this quickly. It only made her appreciate AAA's competence and the drones he created for her more. Only served to show that when you want a job well done, gear your drones toward fulfilling that task, not for conversation.

Then there was the fact that they left so quickly. This did not fit the pattern of their past encounters. It was obvious they sabotaged something, either in Eggman's base or destined to...

Oh. This.

The wildcat was fuming inside. The dragoness now knew that Merga was nothing but a pawn. And by extension, her friends now know.

"Is everything on schedule?" she asked, her tone not showing any hint of the hurricane of thoughts and frustration inside her.

Eggman nodded. "It should be done within the hour or so. Chaos Energy intergration and everything." He said.

"Excellent. Now, if you excuse me, I have business to attend to." The wildcat got up, her tone just as cold and emotionless as usual. It took all of her self-control to suppress her body language given her frustration.

This is ridiculous. How did the rodent's friends managed to locate her and to infilitrate this base so easily? She is surrounded by idiots and incompetents! At least, it's obvious that the lizard will not last much longer ; without her chargers, her vital organs are shutting down. Already, her body has slowed down enough that she got hit by an attack that she should have easily evaded before. It was also obvious that for all of his posturing, Sonic was in a worse state than he wanted everyone to think he was in.

Still, this was ridiculous.

She must hurry. She won't accept further delays.

* * *

 **With Amy and Cream completing their mission and the blue blur and the rogue dragon finally free from their prisons, the heroes make their way back to Avalice. However, it seems Corazon has commissioned Eggman to integrate Chaos Energy into her ship's main cannon, meaning her firepower could be potentially more destructive. But what did Sonic mean when he said he made a few 'modifications'? Will the two ever get back to their former glorys of what they once were? Will Sash survive? And what about the others of Milla and Neige? What of Tails and Carol? Find out next time for Chapter 9: "A Shattered Heart"...**


	10. Chapter 9: A Shattered Heart

**_..._**

 ** _Sonic and Sash: Tides of Chaos 2  
Bad Bloodlines  
Act 2_**

 _Chapter 9: A Shattered Heart_

"Carol!" The kitsune cried as he chased after the wildcat, getting further and further away from him as she fled on her cycle. "CAROL! PLEASE! STOP!" Tears had started filling his eyes...

Carol glanced at her bike's mirror only to see a certain two-tailed kitsune chasing after her. With an annoyed groan, she slammed on the brakes, turning the bike around to help bring the bike to a complete stop. As it finally did come to a complete stop, she put her foot down and looked at the rapidly approaching Mobian. She tried to control her breathing but found herself unable to...

The kitsune soon skidded to a halt, his face flushed red and panting from the chase he had just done. "Carol..." He breathed. "We... we can't just give up like this..."

Carol was silent for a good while. She tried to bring herself under control yet hands wouldn't stop trembling, the tears wouldn't stop coming. "Miles." She used his real name to drive home the seriousness of the situation. "Have you looked at the situation. Have you really?"

Tails sighed. "I have." He breathed. "And I know the situation is looking bleak, but-"

"Bleak?" Carol cut him off suddenly. "You call this 'looking bleak'?"

She actually got off her bike and openly glared at him. "My best friend is gone, Sonic is gone, Merga has the Bakunawa and is smashing up Avalice, and I've just blown through all of the goodwill that saving the world, twice, gave us."

Her eyes narrowed. "And what for? Merga is rampaging in the Bakunawa. Corazon is rampaging in her super prototype airship. AAA is rampaging as well. And we have no bloody idea what Corazon is playing at! We have no leads, nothing, and I'm back to being a criminal."

"Do you know what being defeated looks like, Miles? Well, take a mirror and take a good hard look. That's what being defeated looks like."

Tails fists clenched as he looked down at the ground, the tears still flowing.

"...do you think this what anyone wants?" He spoke, his voice trembling. "Do you think I LIKE seeing what little family I have left get torn apart in front of my eyes?"

Carol was silent for a moment. And then sighed deeply. "I'm just... stumped. I thought I knew a desesperate situation when I saw one. But right now?"

She shook her head. "During ther Brevon Crisis, there was the faint hope that maybe, just maybe, Spade might forgive me and help out despite all odds. During the last crisis, even when Eggman captured me, there was the hope that Sash would return the favor and save me as I saved her. But..."

She stared at her feet, closing her eyes. "I should have known. I should have know we wouldn't be able to defeat big sis."

She turned away. "I'm... I'm just a runt. I've always been the runt. I've never been really worthy of the name Tea..."

"Don't say you're not worthy..." Tails said, his hands shaking. "How do you think that makes me feel when I hear you degrade yourself like this?"

"Miles..." she said, slowly. "As great as Sash and Sonic are, you didn't know Coral and Corazon, back when they were in the Scarves. You never saw what a Tea, a REAL Tea, is supposed to be like..."

"I... I was hoping that because she went mad, that Corazon would be like Brevon. That her insanity would degrade her skills and intelligence. That she'd make mistakes like Eggman. But then... I should have known better."

"Carol..." Tails said, lightly gripping her arm. "I... I..."

Carol was silent for a moment, she didn't seem to notice Miles.

"You know, it's funny." She was smiling... but there was no happiness in said smile. "I grew overconfident. I mean... managing to defeat a space warlord, help drive back Eggman, befriend the famous Sonic and his friends, with their incredible track record? Even managing to actually gain my honor back? I was really fooled there for a while, you know. A while that was counted in years even."

She actually smiled for real at him... though it was pained. "I even managed to secure myself some love. I was starting to believe that maybe, just maybe, I might actually live to see my eighteen birthday."

"Funny, isn't it? Looked at Merga, heard her whole stupid speech about being some kind of ultimate life-form, and thought she'd be a bag of hot air like what Shadow was on Mobius. That we'd just all do our thing and save the day, without anyone getting captured this time. What could go wrong?"

"... why didn't I pay attention to the fact that big sis was leading the charge? I shouldn't have went along!" She facepalmed. "But then... no one ever listen to me when I say we should just hang back and not charge in..."

Carol looked at him, unsure if it would make a difference. But then, she couldn't just mope. She knew it was futile to do so, even if it made her feel better. Moping didn't change what had happened and what would happen.

"Back during the ARK incident, Sonic had been tricked into a trap because Amy's life was threatened." He said. "Eggman had trapped Sonic into a capsule with the fake Emerald I had created, and had planned to jettison him into space..." A sad smile appeared on his face. "I still remember that day. I truly thought Sonic had died from what Eggman had done, jettisoning him into space. But you know what he said to me? In those final moments before Eggman shot him into space?"

Carol stared at him. She was waiting for him to actually explain.

"He told me he was counting on me, and it was clear what he meant; he wanted me to finish what I started." Tails said. "And for someone who's been like a brother; who's been my only family for my entire life... I wasn't about to let the mission die with him. And that's how I feel about this entire situation right now; if we just give up now, just give up and go home, who's to say that she won't come after us when she's completed her 'mission'?"

He leaned forward and whispered into her ear. "And the last thing I ever want is to lose those I've grown so close to during my life... especially you."

Carol stared at Miles with a rather dumfounded expression...

... then she begun to tremble for a far different reason. Namely, as she turned away and put her hands on her mouth, to try and keep herself from bursting into a fit of laughter. But her giggles became audible anyway. And before long, she actually started laughing. "What? That's it? All of this huge build-up for an inane 'continue the mission' line?" She crossed her arms, smirking at Tails. "And I thought Torque and Sash were corny!"

Tails chuckled a bit. "Yeah, looking back on it, Sonic really could have picked his words better than what he did." He said before he put his hand on Carol's shoulder. "But you know what? During the fight I had with Eggman, I had fought like I was on my last legs. Because I wasn't about to let my friends down."

He looked directly at her. "And I'm not about to let one of my friends become like this."

Carol sighed. "You know... I think you're crazy. But then, I think this is all crazy."

She paused and then, realized something."You know... I want to know something. Since, well, the situation is 'looking bleak' as you said. Just be honest and don't try to mince your words, okay?"

Tails nodded. "Alright." He said. "What is it exactly you want to know?"

She paused, unsure how to continue. Then she decided to just keep talking anyway. "Well, why would you try to stop Merga and big sis? Don't give me the whole 'mission' nonsense. Tell me the truth. I know why I would fight them, why Sash would fight them, why Sonic would fight them."

"Sonic is Sonic. He stand so far above everyone else, there's nothing that can really threaten or keep him down. Sash, meanwhile, doesn't care about the danger of anything she face. Milla? She doesn't realize she's in danger most the time anyway. So... what about you? Why would you continue, knowing big sis got all the cards? That we blew it so completely? Why would you keep trying? Don't give me a quote or a speech. Just be honest."

"...because I have hope." Tails said. "The one thing I know never to give up on."

Carol stared at the skies for a good moment.

"... you're such a sap. So hopelessly, stupidly, foolishly optimistic. But then..." she turned back to him, smirking. "That's why I love you, isn't it?"

"Say what you will, Miles, but I know I'm just a runt compared to big sis. Coral, she was a real Tea. She would have been able to stop Brevon on her own, she wouldn't have let Sash be tortured, she wouldn't have got herself captured by Eggman. She also would have been able to stop Corazon. But well, I'm not her."

She leaned against her bike. "Frankly, fighting Merga and big sis is stupid. It's suicide. I'm not like you or Sash. I'm realistic about my chances. And frankly? We're gonna die, Miles."

She looked at her feet for a moment. "... I really, really don't wanna die, you know..." She closed her eyes and deep sighed deeply. Then, she looked at Tails again, this time looking determined. "But I know I won't be lucky forever. Still, ever since I started doing this crazy kind of thing, I've been asking myself... why do I do this? Why do I always stop myself whenever I'm running away, like right now?"

She approached the kitsune and then put a hand on his shoulder. "I mean, why should we throw our lives away? Let's just go out there, pick a nice spot to hide, and lay low for a while. I'm sure I can get us some new contacts so we can keep going!"

"... we're also not going to do that, even though it would be the logical, smart thing. And while you're not going to do that because you're an optimistic idiot who can't recognize a hopeless situation when you see one..."

She smirked at him. "So... what do you have for me, Tails?"

Tails smirked. "Well... first, this." was all he said before he soon had embraced her into a kiss.

The feline didn't expect her little playing around to lead to the kitsune grabbing her and drawing her into a kiss but then, she accepted it fully. In the back of her mind, she realized that she had kind of dropped the ball, that she had revealed the little fact that she was constantly convinced that the crazy odds they were facing would kill her to him. She didn't really want him to realize that the reason she poured all this passion into ther kisses, kissing him as if it was their last, was because she actually thought it would be their last.

But then, she had decided to live her life without regret. Without waiting. To grasp at her dreams in spite of the inevitable.

So she gripped his back and made turned the kiss into a rather... more passionate one than he probably intended, the wildcat actually dragging the kitsune and putting him on her bike so she could properly kiss him. Oh and long enough to satisfy her, too. Which meant until she was completely out of breath and her lungs begun to scream for air.

Still, as she broke it, she winked at her boyfriend, letting go of him. "Now that I've put the 'wild' in 'wildcat', how about you say what you wanted to say earlier?"

Tails smiled. "We finish what was started. Now... are you with me?"

Carol nodded to the kitsune softly. She pondered asking him why he wasn't shocked or reacting much to her stating that she don't expect to live to her eighteen birthday... but then, she decided not to dwell on it. It didn't matter, after all.

Tails smiled. "Alright." He said, getting up. "And you know what? If we survive once this is all over?" He smiled. "I'll make sure you have the best de-stresser of your life..."

Carol found herself with a massive grin. "No fair, now you've put extra pressure on!" She said, playfully before motioning to him to sit on the bike as well. Time to go back now.

Tails smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist as he got on the bike. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't..." He said, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Let's go..." Carol said as the bike took off back towards the treehouse...

* * *

 **With a mended heart, Carol comes back to Tails for what she may believe is their last adventure. Tails may have been successful, but has Milla been successful with her venture? What of their reactions when they see their mangled friends? Is Milla even okay? Find out in Chapter 10: ' _Undercover Observation_ '...**


	11. Chapter 10: Undercover Observation

**_..._**

 ** _Sonic and Sash: Tides of Chaos 2  
Bad Bloodlines  
Act 2  
_**

 _Chapter 10: Undercover Observation_

The basset broke out into a full out sprint on all fours as she sprinted towards the Bakunawa flying ahead of her, her tongue hanging out a she panted to try and keep her breath up during her sprint, the snowcat sprinting right behind her.

"We're catching up!" Milla howled and she picked up her pace. "It looks like they're landing in a lake up ahead!"

Neige nodded. "Where exactly are we planning on establishing a vantage point?"

"Just stick close to me." Milla answered, not breaking her stride. "We can stick close to the foliage nearby and watch their movements from there."

Neige nodded. "There they are! Right up ahead!" She said, pointing ahead at the Bakunawa now floating in a lake, AAA now landing his mech nearby. Milla took the initiative and dived into the nearby bushes, monitoring her breathing as she observed the unfolding scene in front of her...

Merga growled as she opened the cockpit, hopping out of it and into the shallow water, the cold splashing onto her ankles as she angrily stormed up to AAA, grabbing him by the top of his head and yanking him out of the seat of his mech, her eyes filled with rage.

"I should have known better then to let you assist me in the attack." She growled, glaring daggers. "Why the hell have you not told me the energy shields were back online?!"

"W-with all due respect b-boss..." AAA fake stammered, trying to look fearful. "Y-you never gave me any time t-to re-en-augment the magnetic ferrofluid b-back into the m-main weapon's system! I-If I h-had the time t-to do that, w-we could have leveled th-the entirety of Shang Mu n-no problem!"

Merga merely snorted, dropping the monkey back into the cockpit of his mech head-first, causing him to comically flail his legs in the air as he struggled to get back up. "Needless to say, I am very disappointed in how this operation went. And where the hell is that miserable little fleabag?"

"I-I was getting t-to that!" AAA said, getting back up. "B-boss said she'd be out attending to o-other busin-ness while we handled t-the destruction! S-she said she'd b-be back in a c-couple hours!"

Merga merely snorted again. "Typical." She growled. "The sleazeball. No matter, it won't be long before the world burns." She said, turning away from the monkey. "Work on repairs to the shield system. I need to go and blow off what rage I have left boiling inside my blood."

"Wh-what?!" AAA growled. "Then how am I supposed to fix this thing when more than half of i-it is submerged in this d-damn lake?!"

"You figure that out." The dragon growled before taking off away from the Bakunawa, leaving the monkey by himself... aside from the hidden basset and snowcat.

"Hmm..." Milla whispered to herself before she spoke to Neige. "Neige, I feel we might get more information if Merga is also listened in on. Could I ask you to go and follow her and see what she might have while I listen to AAA?"

The snowcat merely nodded. "I will do so." She merely spoke before she took off into the brush after Merga.

Milla smirked. "I'm counting on you..." She whispered before she turned back to observing the monkey...

"Good-for-nothing..." AAA cursed under his breath as he worked on the Bakunawa to get the shield generator back online. "W-what I wouldn't d-do to get the g-green light from b-boss to utterly a-anihilate that stupid l-lizard off the face o-of the planet, but NOOOOOO! W-we need her just t-to pilot this d-damn thing! T-this hunk of scrap that I-I could probably do a better job a-at building!"

"Well..." Milla whispered to herself. "He certainly has a lot of anger against Merga... doesn't seem like something she would want her lackeys to have..." Her posture rightened a bit. "Something doesn't add up..."

At that point a comm unit started ringing before AAA had answered it. "Who is t-this and it better be g-good! I'm not in a terribly fine m-mood right n-now because of s-someone!"

"Calm ya overcharge Battery!" A voice said. "Me an' Agent Astral will be on our way shortly to giv' an update on the situation."

"W-what now?" AAA groaned.

"Nothin' serious Battery." The voice answered. "Just an update on that little group o' rogues that were givin' us a handful, 'at's all."

AAA sighed. "F-fine, let's just h-hope this is g-good..." He said before hanging up and continuing work. "I swear if t-this is s-some more damn b-bad news..."

"...he's having a meeting here?" Milla spoke to herself. "...I figured there were double agents involved in this. Now who they are they..."

It wasn't long before the two agents had arrived, and shocked Milla. The familiar figures of a tengu and a mongrel had soon landed nearby the monkey, and the tengu looked like he was smirking.

"N-no way..." Milla muttered to herself. "I should have known... they were involved..."

"A-alright. What's the status update?" AAA growled looking behind him at the two.

"Zao and the Magister are properly distracted with their needs of rebuilding Shang Mu." The mongrel spoke. "They'll be busy for a while, at least long enough so Corazon can come back with that weapon you had told us about."

"An' her little runt of a sister's group is so torn up 'tween themselves from what we did, I doubt they're gonna interfere with us again." The tengu said. "The li'l wildcat runt was so torn up she fled in tears from her friends. I probably bet she's just gonna try and hide away from the worl' until she wastes away to nothin'."

"...I-I'm not sure if that's n-necessarily a good th-thing or a b-bad thing." AAA responded.

"Aw come on now, 't least it saves her from the genocide."

"She's not even a dragon, Kalaw." The mongrel growled.

"Oh, and what, you aren't Askal?" The tengu rebutted.

"E-enough, both of you." AAA spoke. "Look, I already had a l-lot of crap t-today with M-Merga being b-bitchy as is. Just make s-sure the people don't know y-you're affiliated w-with b-boss. The last thing w-we want is f-for everything to f-fall apart just because SOME p-people were stupid enough to reveal what s-side they actually worked for."

"You REALLY think that were gonna be dumb enough to do that?" Kalaw said. "Puh-lease. As if you think I'm that big of an idiot."

"Considering your ego..." Askal grumbled.

"Just stop." AAA said, glaring a bit. "Just get back to your posts before they get suspicious."

"Roger mate." Kalaw said, before looking at the bushes behind the group. "Hmmm..." Milla tensed up. No, she couldn't have been found so easily, had she?

"Something wrong?" Askal asked.

"...nothin'." Kalaw merely replied. "Just got the suspicion some little wanka was listenin' in on us."

"D-doubt it." AAA said. "We're so far out in the r-remote badlands o-of this place, there's n-no way they' find us. I'll just get t-the damn ship repaired."

"Roger." Kalaw said before he and Askal took off back towards the kingdoms, leaving the monkey back to doing the repair work.

"Hmmm..." Milla whispered to herself. "This seems like this will be good news for the group. If we can just sabotage Kalaw's and Askal's true alliances from under their noses, things should fall into place... I just hope things are going as well for Neige..."

* * *

The snowcat silently slinked along the foliage as she gave pursuit after the armored water dragon. Soon enough said dragon came to a stop in a clearing, while Neige came to a stop and hid behind a rock at the outer area of the clearing.

Merga took a deep breath and exhaled, her clawed fingers tightening into fists and releasing, her breathing strained a bit. It wasn't long before she started using her strength on nearby boulders, leaving massive cracks in them with each blow. Neige could just faintly make out what she was saying during her fighting.

"The insolent little..." Merga had growled. "They should be thankful I haven't decided to end off their pitiful little existences right now. Once Avalice is properly crushed and begging for mercy, then I'll get rid of them. They'll be no more use to me."

She stood still for a bit. "Especially that cursed furball that calls herself a Tea." She growled. "Her delays and 'playing nice' in front of me has gotten old. Real fast. She will be he first to go unless she is able to do something that will REALLY save her hide from her own annihilation."

Her tail swished slowly as her scales shifted in color from their normal cyan color to a burning red as fire soon formed in her hands, performing flaming combos on more boulders, leaving scorch marks from her impacts. The grass at her feet had also been burnt from her footstep motions as she swept from target to target.

Neige's ears perked a bit as she observed. "She can change element... that will be useful to know..."

Merga tensed up. "Who's there?" Neige froze, not moving a muscle as Merga scanned the area. "I can sense someone else is here. Now show yourself before I flush you out the hard way!"

Neige still didn't move, keeping her breathing as quiet as possible as Merga's eyes kept darting around the clearing. A low growl came from her throat while she scanned, looking for any kind of subtle movement.

"...perhaps not." She said, looking back away from the spot where Neige was hiding. Neige let out a small silent sigh of relief before she slinked away before Merga would even notice she was there at all...

* * *

"Milla!" Neige whisper-yelled to the basset as she crawled back towards her. "I've managed to get some information from my end. What about you?"

Milla nodded. "I've got some information on what's going up with AAA's side of things." She spoke. "Let's get back to the treehouse and regroup with everyone that's left. If we can come up with a game plan with who we have left, we just might be able to bring back our side from defeat and stop Avalice from falling into ruin!"

Neige merely nodded. "After I deliver my information, I'll return to the Scarves and inform Head Scarf of this. The more our database knows, the more support we can run."

Milla nodded in response. "Let's go." She said, before taking off on all fours as Neige sprinted behind her. It wasn't long before the basset's ears started twitching, picking up the sound of what appeared to be a motor...

...and soon a familiar red motorcycle had burst from the foliage nearby, flying over the two before it's wheels hit a tree, driving down it and moving along with the basset and snowcat, a familiar green feline figure smirking at her.

"Guess who's back in action Ruff Stuff!" Carol said, smirking. "Sorry 'bout that runoff from earlier."

"It's fine Carol." Milla said. "I am to guess you worked your problems apart?"

"For the most part." Carol responded, glancing back to the kitsune hugging her on the ride. "I guess you could say Tailsy motivated me a bit."

"We're back on course for stopping Cory!" Tails said. "We just need a game plan with the information we've got now to nail 'em while they're seperated!"

"Already dealing with that." Milla spoke. "I've sent Amy and Cream to go find out what Corazon was doing, and to locate our missing friends. They said they'll be meeting us back at the treehouse."

"Sounds like a plan to us!" Carol said, giving a bit more juice to her bike. "Let's juice it back there! The sooner we get back, the easier it should be to come up with a plan!"

"Agreed." Milla spoke before the group took off...

* * *

The Tornado soon landed in front of the treehouse, and Sonic wasted no time getting the convulsing Sash up into the treehouse before laying her down on the couch, the dragon definitely looking worse for wear. Her eyes were glazed over and a small amount of blood was trailing down from her nose.

"You still hangin' on there Sash?" Sonic asked, lightly squeezing the dragon's hand.

"B-B-B-barely..." Sash choked out from the coppery taste filling her mouth. "F-f-feeling dizzy and m-my limbs f-feel severely n-numb..."

"Just try to hang in there." Sonic said, clenching her hand with both his hands. "I'm not about to lose you yet."

"I-I k-know..." Sash choked out, coughing up a bit of blood. "J-Just hard to d-d-do when your e-entire b-b-body feels like i-it's j-jello..."

Sonic said nothing, just held her hand tightly as he stayed by her side. It wasn't long before Carol was the first to enter into the treehouse...

"S-SASH!" Carol almost screamed as she rushed up to her convulsing friend, her eyes in tears. "Oh my god..."

"Carol?!" Milla said, rushing inside the treehouse, before seeing the damaged dragon. "Oh gods..."

"C-C-Car...ol?" Sash weakly choked out. "I-Is... is that y-you? I-I can't s-s... s-see anything..."

"Oh my god... Sash..." Carol choked out, tears flowing. "Come on girl, don't die on me!"

A sad smile came upon Sash's face as more blood trickled down her chin. "S-sorry Carol..." She choked out. "B-b-been trying to hold o-o-on for s-so long... I-I don't know h-h-how long I h-have left at t-this rate..."

"No..." Carol said, gripping her friend's hand. "I... I won't allow it..."

"W-without my c-c-c-chargers, I'm..."

"Chargers..." A lightbulb moment appeared over her head as her face lit up with shock. "I still have those!" She yelled, quickly getting into her bag and pulling out the charger pair she had picked up earlier. "Ruff Stuff! Crystal pacs! NOW!"

"Right!" The basset yipped, grabbing the crystals out of her pockets of the sweatshirt. Carol soon wasted no time as she hooked the chargers into place, the needles sticking into the dragon. Sash cringed as she felt the sharp stinging needles peirce her skin, her muscles screaming like they were on fire, beofre Milla quickly slotted the crystal pacs into the sides of the chargers. A primal growl ripped through Sash's throat as her eyes flashed a bright glaring cyan, her back arching as her veins lit up blue all across her body. She screamed as she felt like her body was going to burst... then collapsed back onto the couch, regular heavy breathing and her pupils dilated.

"Aaaaa... aaahh..." Sash breathed. "Ow..."

"Sash..." Carol breathed. "Are... are you alright?"

Sash smirked sitting up. "Never been better than now to be alive..." She spoke, before Carol and Milla had gripped tightly to her, hugging her close.

"Y-you dingus..." Carol cried, sobbing into Sash's shoulder. "I-I'm just so happy you're alive..."

Sash said nothing, merely smiling and crying as she hugged her friend...

* * *

"Right, so what's the plan Tailsy?" Carol asked as the group surrounded around the table. "We gotta think of a backup plan in case sis decides to pull another fast one on us."

"Agreed." Sash spoke. "The last thing we want is for something like this to occur on a much worse scale. Corazon means business, and if my and Sonic's injuries are anything to go by, we have to take extra precautions."

"That includes getting those metal plates off you safely." Milla said, looking at Sash's scarred head. "Your chargers being back is a major plus to us, but without your tendrils we'll be stuck in a massive rut."

"It's not just that..." Sash sighed. "It's a matter of my appearence too. Corazon knew what she was doing when she did this to me; she wanted people to see me as a fraudulent, a phony. Someone that isn't a true dragon. However..." She said, clenching her fist. "I'm not about to let her get away with that lightly."

"Neither am I, girl." Carol said. "We gotta get both you and Sonic healed up if we're gonna send sis running."

"And how are we gonna do that?" Sonic asked. "Life Petal baths may be effective, but unless we find a way to get those metal plates off of Sash, we're sunk."

"Hmmm... I might have an idea." Tails said, taking out the green Chaos Emerald. "But I'll have to ask. Is there an way to overcharge a regular Life Petal at all with what I have in mind?"

"Not with the regular plant matter Life Petals; they'd degrade too quickly from the overcharge of energy before they finished healing." Carol said. "So they're completely out of the question."

"I... might have a solution." Milla said, before everyone turned their attention to her. "There are actually two types of Life Petals here on Avalice."

Sash nodded. "I know what you mean; you're refering to the Life Petal crystals, correct?"

"Yes."

"Those might work." Carol said, putting a hand on her hip. "We got any on hand at the moment?"

"We might." Milla spoke. "Let me check my reserve stash of shinies. It should be in there somewhere."

"Let's hope." Tails said as Milla left the room. "Alright, while she's going to get those, let's go over the information we have so far."

"Agreed." Amy said. "Thanks to the recon work Cream and I did, we do have an idea on what Corazon's planning on doing. She's modifying her ship to intergrate Chaos Energy into her main cannon. We think she's going to try and use it to pressure the other kingdoms into surrendering or risk complete destruction and deaths of many innocent lives."

"It coincides with the information I had gained from my recon while Milla and I were spying on AAA." Neige spoke.

"How so?" Amy asked.

"Well, first of all, we were right in thinking that Corazon had an inside job with others working for her." She said. "As it turns out, Kalaw and Askal are working for her as well, and the stunt Kalaw had pulled back in Shang Mu was just to distract Merga away from AAA."

"That BASTARD!" Carol growled. "So he just did that to try and make himself look good in front of Zao and drive us out?!" It was clear enough she was enraged, burning hatred showing in her eyes.

"It appears so." Neige spoke. "We're not sure of either of their exact motives, but it's clear Corazon had this all planned out in advance. She must have wanted us to be separated like this to break our morale; to pull us down."

"Well it did the opposite in my book!" Carol growled. "The next time I see that sonova-"

"Carol, please, calm down." Sash spoke. "We can deal with him later. We need to focus our efforts on stopping Corazon."

"Fine..." Carol grumbled angrily. "What's sis doing?"

"Corazon is just merely using Merga as a pawn for her plans. After all, who's to say once she's done exterminating the rest of the dragon race, she'll just turn around and gib Merga as well? After all, once the entire species is killed, Merga would literally have no purpose for Corazon's plans at all."

Sash nodded. "And I know for a fact because Sonic and I were broken out, we'd be high priority on her kill list. I would think she'd like testing out her new weapon on us."

Sonic nodded. "So the two of us could act as bait and draw any kind of fire away from civilians. Maybe even tempt her to fire that Chaos Energy weapon to have it blow up right in her face with the fake one I placed in there."

Sash smirked. "True that. That was really clever."

"Heh, well what can I say? Improvisation works when your quick on your feet!" Sonic replied right as Milla walked back into the treehouse.

"Any luck?" Carol asked.

Milla nodded, holding up two red crystals. "The only two I had in my stash. These should work in healing Sash and Sonic."

Sonic smirked. "I like the sound in that." He said, pulling out the green Chaos Emerald before taking one of the red crystals while Sash took the other one.

Sash let out a sigh. "Ready Sonic?"

Sonic nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be... let's do it." Both Sash and Sonic held onto the Chaos Emerald as they exhaled, before they both clashed their respective crystals against the emerald. A bright flash soon filled room along with the sound of Sonic and Sash screaming as the overflowing light blinded the rest of the group. A sound of a loud cracking occured before four familiar metallic plates hit the back wall of the room, the light growing more intense, before finally dying down. The group uncovered their eyes...

Both Sash and Sonic were standing before them, holding onto the Chaos Emerald, breathing heavily with their eyes clamped shut. The metal plates that were covering Sash's horns and tendrils were gone completely, having been thrown against the back wall of the room, her proud horns and lethal tendrils now back in their rightful place, as well as her hair fully regrown back into place; a dragon now back to her full glory. Sonic's torched fur and burnt skin had disappeared, leaving his blue fur shining greatly again. Both Sonic and Sash smirked.

"Heh... guess that worked well..." Sonic breathed.

"Yeah..." Sash panted. "That... was a thing."

"Yo, you guys alright?" Carol asked, a concerned look on her face.

Sash smirked like her old self. "Never felt better."

Sonic flashed a thumbs-up. "I'd say we're all good to go! Let's get that plan moving!"

"I will return to the Scarves and deliver my information." Neige spoke, starting to leave. "Head Scarf will love to hear this. Anything to stop them is useful in her book."

Sash merely nodded. "Give her my regards Neige."

"Will do." The snowcat said, smirking as she left the treehouse.

"Alright, so, what are we gonna do now?" Sonic asked.

"Regroup at Shang Mu." Tails said. "We've got a cat to fry."

Both Sash and Sonic smirked before they rushed out of the treehouse, the rest of the group following shortly after...

* * *

 **A group reunited, precious information leaked, and the group ready to fight off Corazon and reclaim what was once theirs. However, with time running out, will fate prove Corazon the victor? OR will the group come back from their detriment and stop the second attack before its too late? Find out next chapter in Chapter 11: 'Fate Wins Again...'**


	12. Chapter 11: Fate Wins Again

**_..._**

 ** _Sonic and Sash: Tides of Chaos 2  
Bad Bloodlines  
Act 2_**

 _Chapter 11: Fate Wins Again..._

* * *

The dragon growled as the Bakunawa slithered through the sky back towards the ruined Shang Mu, angrily murmurring to herself as she flew towards the destroyed kingdom. AAA was in his mech, flying alongside her toward their intended destination, though it wasn't long before the Sigwada came back into view, now with a modified main cannon.

"Th-there's boss lady!" AAA said, pointing straight at the Sigwada.

Merga merely snorted. "I knew I couldn't rely on an inferior being like this. Well, it will soon be time to remind her that I don't forgive easily..." She growled as she piloted the gigantic mechanical dragon towards the airship, the back of it opening up for the Bakunawa to fly inside and dock. As Merga disembarked from the Bakunawa, followed by AAA, she found Corazon waiting for her. The feline bowed down before her submissively.

"I am so glad to see you, mistress! There has been a development while you were gone." She said, bowing a bit. "If I would be so bold, how did thi-"

"You may not!" Merga's voice came as angered thunder. "Where the hell were you during the assault?! Do you think this is some kind of joke?"

Corazon's faked terror was so convincing that AAA was nearly fooled. The feline did seem genuinely terrified, shaking and her voice tone trembling a bit, her eyes widened and her pupils shrunk. "Pl-please forgive me, mistress! I tried to help, I just wanted to! But the Sigwada's cannons malfunctionned and I had to get them fixed and it just couldn't wait! So I panicked and rushed to have them fixed. For you and your glory..."

Merga growled in frustration and stomped past her. But just as Corazon got back to her feet, the dragoness stopped, clenching her fists. "There has been enough setbacks in one day. In fact, there's been enough setbacks period. I want no more delays, no more mistakes. I want the Bakunawa repaired and refueled. You better not fail me again, furball. The only reason I am not killing you right now is because I have bigger fish to fry than you. But know that I do not forget. And I do not forgive."

Corazon bowed again, waiting until the dragoness left. As the hangar doors slammed shut, emotion drained from the feline... mostly. While her expression was outwardly completely devoid of life, leaving her almost as a statue, the frustration boiled out of her heart and caused her tail to wag slowly, the index of her left hand twitching slightly.

"S-so, boss..." AAA spoke, breaking the silence. "W-when are we dealing with that idiot? She s-s-sounds like she's truly gonna try-try 'punishing' you for real soon."

"It does not matter." she flatly responded, taking control of herself again, now as still as a statue.

"S-say, what was that upgrade that you went to fetch on-on Mobius? I-I-It had to be something if you had to ri-risk Merga's anger for it!"

"Chaos Energy cannon." The three words actually took a few seconds to filter into AAA's mind, especially given how casually they had been said. The effect was immediate as the monkey's twitching increased tenfold and his eyes widened like saucers.

"Th-then boss, it means that-!" AAA was so excited that his stuttering didn't allow him to finish his sentence.

Which was all well and good for Corazon finished it for him. "We have both Avalice's and Mobius's greatest superweapons under our control, weapons powerful enough to destroy both worlds with a single use." And she knew that it was the case. The Chaos Energy cannon on the space colony Ark had vaporized a small portion of Mobius's moon with what was a small warning shot. And while she don't have the Chaos Emeralds to power the replica on the Sigwada, she do have the Bakunawa to augment it. With both technologies under her control, she is now in control of a ship that makes even the dreaded Death Egg look like a toy.

"All of the pieces are in place. The pawn is ready to take the fall for us. You know what we will do next." Corazon said.

And for a precious moment, AAA's maniacal grin ceased to be goofy and revealed the psychotic fury that hid within. His dream, their combined plan, was finally within grasp. "I've be-be-been waiting for this for years, b-b-boss. Just give the word."

"One last thing though." Corazon's gaze bored upon AAA. "I want the other machine repaired and powered up. I will not let the lizard stop us when we're so close."

At first, AAA wondered why the boss wanted him to do that. Okay so rationally he understand that she want a failsafe but seriously, who can seriously stop them? Surely, not even Sonic and Sash can defeat them when they are in control of both worlds' most destructive weapons! But then, he thought over how their plan would have been completely ruined weeks ago if it wasn't from Corazon planning ahead and adapting to both her sister's annoying friends' meddling and Merga's own incompetence. He dreamt of this for years. He's not going to let the possibility of this latest plan going wrong ruin this moment.

"I'm on it! It will be done!" AAA said, being strangely serious as he replied before running off.

Corazon allowed herself a smug smirk. If the Avalician nations react the way she predict, the course of Avalice's history will soon be altered forever.

* * *

"How much time do we got Tailsy?" Carol asked as the group rushed back to Shang Mu, evident that time was running out by the massive airship heading for it.

"We've got until sunset in a half hour!" Tails yelled back. "If we can't make it by then, Shang Mu's gonna get leveled!"

"Then Sash and I will take lead!" Sonic said. "It's us she wants, so we'll give it to her the hard way!"

"Be careful guys!" Tails said. "There's no telling what might happen if she actually succeeds in firing that weapon!"

"We'll be careful!" Sash said, keeping her pace with Sonic. "We're definitely not gonna follow them into the ship after what happened last time!"

"I hope not..." Milla spoke from the back of the Tornado. "There's no guarantee we'll be able to find another pair of chargers or more Life Petal crystals if the same happens to you."

"I'm more than well aware of that Milla!" Sash spoke. "I'm not allowing myself to fall for something like that again!"

"At least that helps..." Milla reassured herself as they closed in on Shang Mu. However, things seemed to be starting to go awry as there seemed to be a mass of guards at what remained at the entrance to the half-destroyed city.

"Halt! Your entry is restricted by order of Zao!" One of the guards spoke. "I advise you turn around at leave right now or an arrest WILL be made by order of Zao and Kalaw!"

"And leave the city to be destroyed by a rampaging dragon and sociopathic wildcat? Yeah no, sorry, I don't work like that!" Sonic said, he and Sash zipping by as drones started to come out of the Sigwada itself, starting to spread out over what remained of the city.

"What's the plan Sonic?" Sash asked as the two raced along, smashing drones that got near them.

"By this point, the red emerald's gotta be nearing a Chaos explosion. All we gotta do is tempt her into firing that thing for it to blow up on her." Sonic said, smashing through another drone. "With a little bit of speed on our side, we should be able to get into position!"

"An- YIKE!" Sash squealed as she dodged a blast from an attack drone. "And where exactly is that location?!"

"Top of the main city hall!" Sonic said. "They'll definitely see us from there, AND they'll be really tempted to fire since we escaped in the first place!"

"I hope..." Sash spoke before a loud voice echoed over the city from the Sigwada.

"Rulers of this world! Heed this message as if it were your last!" Merga's voice boomed over the speakers. "This is your last attempt to surrender without strife! Turn over all of your filthy half-blooded dragons for execution, or everyone in this world will meet their demise!"

Sonic smirked. "Looks like that's our cue! C'mon!" It soon wasn't long before both Sonic and Sash had zipped up the spire in a double helix motion before both of them took their stance atop the semi-crumbling spire, back-to-back, staring down the Sigwada's main cannon pointed straight at them. "Hey! Corzy!" Sonic yelled out to the Sigwada. "What's the matter? Ashamed that your top priority prisoners escaped out from under your nose?"

"Or the fact you failed to notify your 'boss' about it?" Sash added. "We know what you're playing at Corazon, you're not fooling anyone!"

Merga snorted from her seat as she aimed the cannon straight at the two on the spire. "I should have figured you'd fail even a simple task. No matter, I will merely finish what you have started." She growled, aiming the cannon straight at Sonic and Sash on the spire. "Say your final prayers, you insignificant worms..." She growled, beginning the charge inside the cannon, a red glow starting to form. Sash's muscles started tensing up as the glow grew bigger, knowing fully well that if this didn't go to plan... they'd be vaporized.

"I hope this goes according to plan..." Sash spoke as the glow grew bigger in front of them. "Because if this doesn't..."

"It has to work." Sonic said, gripping Sash's hand tightly. Sash merely tensed up as they both closed their eyes...

"FIRE!" Merga smashed her fist into the button to fire the main cannon. The Chaos energy built up inside the barrel of the cannon, glaring a bright red as it was aimed... and almost immediately then overreacted. Red lights and alarms lit up by Merga's control panel and the words 'catastrophic failure' lit up on one of the screens. The Sigwada's failsafe systems kicked in and the onboard computer having calculated how much energy was built up, reacted accordingly.

Magnetic clamps activated, ejecting every bolt and screw that kept the massive Chaos Energy cannon attached to the airship. The now unstable cannon, fully detached from the ship, plumetted toward the streets alongside the canister containing the Emeralds. The emergency auto-pilot program installed by AAA kicked in, causing the airship to take as much altitude as possible while flying the other way at maximum speed, causing the dragoness to lose control of the ship. This was all and good because moments later, the cannon detonated violently and brutally. Even with the Sigwada having gotten out of the way, the shockwave rocked the entire ship and sent Merga, who had unwisely not fastened her seatbelts in the command chair, slamming straight into the side of the deck.

When Merga came to, Corazon was now in the cabin, AAA standing nearby. Rage flashed across Merga's eyes as she stared at her incompetent minion.

"My lady!" Corazon spoke, her eyes slightly widened. "Are you alri-" She was cut off as Merga rose to her feet instantly and snatch her by the neck, spinning around and then slamming her into the wall.

"I am SICK of your insolence!" Merga screamed. "Always faking obedience! Always lying to me! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, PATHETIC FURBALL?! What do you seek to achieve, standing in my way?! Do you really think I hadn't noticed?! I should have killed you when I had the chance! Your worthless little plans have-"

"You will unhand me. Right now." For a moment, Merga froze. She was pinning that pathetic pile of fur to the wall by the neck, it should be terrified. Yet, it had spoke in a completely emotionless, monotone voice, one that shouldn't belong to a living thing. The sheer wrongness of the voice and Corazon's cold, unfeeling glare actually caused the dragoness to pause.

Merga had only hesitated for a few seconds but it was all the time that Corazon needed. The green feline reached out and with blinding speed and precision. She grabbed the wrists of the dragon but instead of trying to pull apart, a losing proposition, she spun Merga's wrists. She twisted them in a brutal, strong motion that instantly broke both of her hands. Merga's eyes widened as she staggered back, actually letting go of the feline.

Thankfully, as the ultimate life-form, her enhanced dragon traits allowed her wrists to heal nearly instantly. Still, it did cause her to see red as she saw Corazon dust herself off, glaring at her as if she was some kind of disobedient child. The sheer gal of this inferior being! She growled.

"How dare you. Who do you think you are, trying to manipulate me? Trying to defy ME?! A mere pile of fur like you, thinking it might be able to control the ultimate dragon, the ultimate life-form!"

"And what makes you so ultimate?" Corazon said, reacting with such a lack of life that Merga wondered if the green feline had even been listening.

And frankly, she is done. "BECAUSE I AM STRONGER!" she roared, slapping Corazon hard enough to make her stagger. "BECAUSE I AM SMARTER!" She punched her in the stomach, causing to kneel over. "BECAUSE I AM FASTER!" she snatched Corazon by the fur on the top of her head, forcing her to look up at her. "BECAUSE I AM THE MOST POWERFUL!"

Merga fumed, waiting for a reaction. Any reaction.

... huh? She is... giggling? Laughing? That insolent furball dare to be laughing now of all time?

"You. Powerful. What a joke."

The sound of Corazon's pistol firing was deafening. Merga blinked once, utterly shocked at the sound. Slowly, her eyes lowered to see the green feline's gun pressed against her chest armor. No pain registered due to sheer shock. However, as Corazon slid the cannon of her gun slightly and then fired again, pain did register as the gunshot shattered one of her vertebraes and every organ in the way. Merga let go of the feline and found herself losing her footing. Corazon stood to full height and slammed her right boot straight on her neck. Then, she emptied her gun's magazine into her chest.

Merga knew she wasn't mortally damaged but she also knew that the damage she had received was over overwhelming. Even now, she was starting to heal... but with the extent of the damage, she was not getting up. Not immediately. And it occurred to her that Corazon was pressing that boot of hers against her neck very solidly and that the feline had just finished reloading her pistol.

"Power is not strength." Corazon said, with her usual monotone voice, her gun pointed at Merga's forehead. "Power is not intelligence. Power is not speed. Power is power. Simple as that. The ability to control life, to direct it, to create it, and to end it. And you, little lizard, never had power."

There was a brief pause. "You never had power. You were powerless to stop people from locking you up and were sealed having achieved nothing and being remembered by no one. For one who speak of being the future, you embody an obsolete and long dead culture that has no place on this planet or Mobius. And your mindset is one dominated by discredited concepts and that ignore the reality of Mobius's presence and influence in our society."

Her boot squeezed Merga's neck slightly harder. "Any power you owned, it was lent to you. All of those minions? Mine. Your machines? Mine. The one who made sure your stupid and deeply inane plans had a chance of working? Me. You may have been designed to be 'ultimate' but there is nothing ultimate about you. At all."

Despite the situation, Merga found the whole tirade amusing. This inferior being mocks her? How dare she? "And yet you would use me to conquer the world. Pathetic."

"Conquer? This world is already mine, Merga. It has belonged to my bloodline for generations."

For a few moments, Merga was completely silent. She just stared at the green feline, not understanding what had been said or under what kind of delusion she might be.

"You were designed to be ultimate, Merga... I was BORN ultimate! I am Corazon Tea, descendant of Tea. A bloodline entrusted with this world's future that has shaped history to its whims. Entire nations have risen and fallen by our hand. Royalties and governments live by our sufferance. Entire armies have mobilized to stop us and been swept aside. All I am doing is exercising my power to reshape history as I see fit, just like every Tea since Bail. I am a Tea. It is what we do."

"You have no power over me, I can crush you like-"

"Right now," Corazon interrupted Merga's reply, "power take the form of the ability to end your life whenever I see fit by slightly flexing my inder finger. All of your strength, all of your speed, all of your intelligence amounting to nothing. If I so desire, you will be nothing but one more corpse among many. The corpse of a bio-engineered lizard will make a skeleton just as indistinguishable as any other lizard's once you are six feet under."

"So the real question is... what do I do with you? Not follow you, that is for sure. I am done humoring your idiotic, shortsighted, and frankly completely unworkeable and unambitious supervillain schemes."

And for the first time since, well, ever, Merga knew fear. She was acutely aware that even if she could regenerate, she could never do so in time to stop Corazon from shooting her in the head. And you can't heal from having your head blown off, even if you're a dragon designed to be the ultimate being.

Corazon tilted her head and then, brought out her radio. "AAA. Please come in and take out the trash."

"What do I do with her afterward, b-b-boss?" AAA anwsered over the radio.

Merga's eyes widened. Hearing AAA refer to Corazon as his mistress and showing absolutely no hint of surprise at her betrayal really drove home that all along, she had been duped. Her mind was still unable to accept it... but the evidence was staring her in the face. Neither had been loyal. They had used her all along. She had been, from the very beginning, a mere pawn.

"I don't know. Recycle her for resources, use her as a battery for a machine, or cut her up for meat? I don't care. Just take out this garbage out of my sight already. We have important work to do."

"Hehehe! I think I'll saw off its t-t-tail! I want to take a cl-clo-closer look at its DNA!" AAA's voice made that strange familiar feeling know as fear grow inside Merga's heart. She had never felt powerless before and she hated it.

"Whatever." Corazon said. Then, she violently kicked Merga into the side of the head with all of her strength, knocking her out. Putting her pistol back in its holster, she cracked her fingers. It's time to go to the root of her problem with history and reshape history. She waited long enough. She will not accept further delays. It all ends now.

* * *

The dragon growled as her head swirled in pain as she slowly regained consciousness, her body feeling like it was in immense pain as she struggled to even move. She tilted her head up as her vision cleared to see her perdicament: she had been secured to a cold metal table, completely stripped bare of any of her armor or clothing, her wrists, ankles, and tail completely restrained. A hot blinding light was shining down onto her, making it hard to see anything above her own body. She growled as she tried to struggle more to break free before she heard a ragged, creepy breathing sound, like something hyperventilating nearby. And it was a voice that she could recognize...

She turned to see AAA, looking like a feral monkey as he twitched violently from excitement. Right next to him was a collection of very wicked instruments all arrayed on a table. Terror gripped her and she found herself struggling harder.

"D-don't even think a-about trying to break free." AAA said. "Th-those cuffs are made of 100% pure Aaanium. I m-m-made that alloy by s-studying tech from those ruins a-an-and from the remains of Brevon's technology. N-no way you're b-breaking those beauties."

His eyes were looking her over in a way that really didn't give her any kind of good feeling. In fact, it made her feel so completely vulnerable. She had never felt that way before.

"You know, I don't l-l-like living things and n-n-nature usually. They're so... gross. Chaotic. Stupid." AAA said. "T-take me for example. Nature c-cursed me. I have great intelligence but I'm b-broken. I keep stuttering. I c-c-can't think straight. I k-keep twitching." As he said that, his left eye fluttered wildly. "If I w-were a machine, I'd be j-j-junk. Machines have a higher standart. They must be good enough."

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!" Merga roared as AAA put a hand on her body, feeling it. He paid her no attention and continued his rant.

"Y-you're not like them though. Y-you're like Corazon. D-designed. Forged. Different. Perfect." His grin and his touch only served to disgust her more. "O-optimize. And then to f-f-feel. Destroy. Destroy. DESTROY!"

He finally took his hands off her. Unfortunately, despite being barely half her size, he looked terrifying as he begun to basically have a seizure in front of her, cackling in a way that made even his high-pitched, squeaky voice sound terrifying.

"Th-they talk of morals. Th-the universe don't care for morals. We-we-we are born to break stuff. To crea-create stuff. Perpetuate and im-improve. Corazon understand this. SHE UNDERSTANDS! And... she isn't sc-scared of me. She didn't call-call me 'special' or 'handicapped'. She saw my ge-ge-genius. SHE GAVE ME PURPOSE! A-and thanks to her... I break! I create! I DESTROY!"

He picked a wicked looking blade among the tools. Merga's eyes widened and she found herself tensing.

"Assemble! D-d-disassemble! The universe wants optimization! IT WANTS THE ULTIMATE MACHINE! C-Corazon is a l-line that is working toward this. And I... I am part of this! She-she allows me to be part of this! A-and you! I want to know! I MUST KNOW! The-the best a dragon can be! S-s-so much less than what a Tea can be..." He had an insane grin. "B-but it will satisfy my curiosity for now."

"You cannot do this! I am not some science project or curiosity! I am Merga! I am the culmination, the peak of the ultimate species! I am the ultimate being! I won't be denied! It can't end that way! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!"

"All things break, Merga. Y-y-you are no different. And now, it's yo-yo-your turn."

The blade fell like a thunderbolt on the base of Merga's tail. She screamed.

* * *

Sash opened her eyes. "That... that worked?"

Sonic smirked. "Looks like it did!" He said. "Now c'mon, let's group up back with the others! We gotta get to that emerald!"

"Right!" Sash spoke as the two leapt from the spire and took off for the West sector of the kingdom. It wasn't long before they found the crashed canister in a crater in the middle of the street, still smoldering from the impact.

Sonic whistled. "That's a hell of a crash right there. I wasn't expecting it to go off that badly!" He said, sliding down the side of the crater. "I bet the red Emerald's probably on borderline mega-Chaos Control!"

"And we're gonna stop that how?" Sash asked.

Sonic pulled out the green Emerald. "I just gotta get this close to it and the red one should cool down. They cancel eachother out." he said as Sash yanked the casing open, showing the pulsating red Emerald in its slot, red lightning sparking off it like nothing else, and what looked like just a coagulated melted yellow mess in another slot. Sonic held the green Emerald close to the red Emerald as the sparking died down both Emeralds starting to glow in harmony in an almost soothing, hypnotic way before it gave a small flash and the two Emeralds regained their dim glow. Sonic smirked as he took the Emerald out of the canister as the rest of the group arrived on scene.

"That was insane!" Cream said. "Are you guys alright?! That thing could have killed you guys!"

"You're telling me!" Amy said. "I legit thought the entire airship was about to come crashing down on top of us!"

"Well look on the bright side; we're still alive." Tails said. "And we've got both the Emeralds Corazon originally had to boot."

"Speaking of which, where are they going?" Sash said, looking up at the moving airship. "They seem to be leaving..."

"Doesn't look like they're heading anywhere we would know..." Milla spoke. "Besides... that's not what I'd be concerned about..." She said as several of Zao's troops including Zao and Kalaw had came forward at them.

"I cannot believe this outrageous ignorance of my demands!" Zao growled. "I specifically told you all that you were to never return here or else you would be arrested!"

"Yeah, and if we didn't come back, there's a high chance you'd be completely vaporized from a Chaos Energy blast!" Sonic retorted. "That and the rest of the city would have been destroyed along with thousands of innocent lives!"

"Ya didn't listen to laws mate." Kalaw said, aiming his blaster at the group. "Now I suggest you all come along nicely, else I'll have to get a bit... messy in disposing of you the hard way."

"And what for?" Milla stepped forward, a seeming brimming confidence in her voice. "Afraid we're going to steal your thunder of 'stopping' Corazon? Or just tired of us being in the way with how we do our work and taking the publicity away from you?"

"The hell are you talkin' about?" Kalaw growled. "And if you take one more step I ain't gonna hesitate to blow your brains all over five separate counties!"

Milla's eyes sharpened. "You wouldn't even try." She growled, knocking his blaster arm away from her head. "After all, that would harm your chances of getting the fame you wanted from Corazon's power, wouldn't it? Especially if she found out you murdered her little sister?"

Zao looked at Kalaw. "Kalaw, what is the meaning of this?"

"Exactly Kalaw, what IS the meaning of this?" Milla added. "Or, I'm sorry, would that be Agent Krimson, one of Corazon's inside workers just so her plans can succeed in genociding a species just so you can get the fame you oh so want?"

Zao was taken aback. "What insanity is this?! You think you can disobey the laws I made and accuse my biggest officer as a low petty criminal?"

"There's no accusation, only truth." A voice spoke, revealing to be the Head Scarf herself as she, Spade and Neige walked towards the group. "Let's just say we've found some evidence that doesn't exactly paint your captain in a... fond light."

Spade nodded, holding up a small camera. "We found this hidden device installed within the meeting room the day of the bomb explosion that started the whole thing. Had it dusted for DNA signatures and guess what? Kalaw's DNA was discovered; he's guilty, and he's playing you like a toy."

"Outrageous!" Zao steamed. "Kalaw, this can't be seri-" He was interupted as a blast struck the ground and knocked him away, Kalaw's blaster smoldering.

"Shut yer trap you little raccon runt." Kalaw spoke. "I don't have the bloody time to b' dealin' with this." He said, taking off into the sky after the Sigwada.

"Well, looks like we've got a target to chase down, and then some." Sonic said. "Let's go after them. Chances are they're gonna try pulling something REALLY off the wall..."

Sash nodded. "Agreed."

"We will continue to monitor things here." Natalya spoke. "The more hands of the Scarves we have helping rebuild the better. Now get moving." She spoke, a smile starting to creep onto her face. "After all, you two have a legacy to uphold."

Sash and Carol nodded. "We'll set things straight, Head Scarf." Carol spoke.

"I hope." Natalya responded. "After all, you _are_ a Tea..."

Carol nodded before the group took off...

* * *

"Alright. This was where we last traced Corazon to..." Tails said, landing the Tornado near his workshop. "And I'm picking up some heavy temporal distortion. I'm guessing she must have gone back to the past here."

"The past?" Sonic said, tapping his foot. "Well that doesn't make any sense. She already got the Bakunawa from the past, what reason would she have for coming back here?"

Sash crossed her arms. "I dunno... but I have a feeling it can't be good. We need to get back there and figure out what's going on."

Amy nodded. "We'll crack them wide open!"

Sonic shook his head. "Ames... can I talk to you, in private?"

"Huh, sure Sonic." Amy answered. "Tails, go ahead and fire up the portal to head through." Tails nodded, starting to type something into the computer console as Sonic led Amy away.

"So... what's this all about Sonic?" Amy asked, her hammer slung over her shoulder.

"Look, I know you really want to help out with us on stopping Corazon and all, and I really appreciate that..." Sonic said, setting a hand on her shoulder. "But I really want you and Cream to stay here while the rest of us go in after her."

"What?" Amy asked. "Why? Don't you think you'd need my help?"

"It's not that you're not a lot of help Ames." Sonic said. "Hell, if it weren't for you and Cream, Sash and I would still be prisoners."

"Then I don't know why you don-"

"Because you mean too much to me." Sonic spoke. "Look, Ames, I know there's been like, next to no chemical reaction romance between us at all, but I really care about your safety. You're like a sister to me with how much you've become these past few years, and..." He sighed. "And I just don't want to lose you after what you've become."

"Sonic..." Amy started before the blue hedgehog hugged her.

"All I want is just you safe right now, okay?" Sonic said. "I just need you and Cream to stay here and look after things while we stop Corazon, okay?"

"Sonic..."

"Look, Ames, I need you to trust me..." Sonic said, looking her dead in the eyes. "I just want you to stay alive for me, alright?"

Amy fell silent before returning the hug tightly. "Y-you dingus..." She said, holding him close. "Alright. We'll stay back and look over the place. Just... promise me you'll return in one piece..."

Sonic nodded. "I promise." He said, before the two walked back to the group as Tails got the portal opened. "We ready guys?"

Tails nodded. "Time coordinates are set. We're heading back to the Sky Empire."

Sonic flashed a thumbs-up. "Alright. Time to rip Corazon a new one wide open!" He said, before the five jumped into the portal to the past.

"Keep yourself safe... Sonic." Amy said as the portal closed...

* * *

"OOff!" The hedgehog said as the group dogpiled in front of where the portal let out. "Never gonna get used to that..."

"Same..." Sash moaned, holding her head as she stood up. "Are we in the right timeframe?"

"We should be." Tails said. "At least 90-95 years into Mobius's past. This would put us at the timeframe Corazon fled to."

"Ninety years?" Sash said. "But... that was the same time as th-" Her sentence was cut short as a massive explosion sounded in the area, the five looking up to see a familiar airship... and an out of control mech attacking the Sky Empire."

"No!" Sash gasped. "Sh-she's insane!"

"What's she doing?!" Carol cried.

"She's gone back to the launch date when the dragons left Mobius!" Sash yelled. "If she destroys those ships, there's no telling how many dragons will die in it!"

"Not only that..." Milla spoke. "If all the ships' passengers perish... history is going to re-write itself and erase Avalice altogether!"

Sonic froze, his fists clenching. "Then we don't have time to dawdle. Let's go!" Sonic said.

Sash nodded, her fists tightened. "I won't allow Corazon to do this. Not on any of our watches." That was the last thing she spoke before she and the others took off for the Sky Empire...

* * *

 _ **It has begun.  
Chapter 12: Scarred Skies Act 1...  
Let the bloody battle for the future unfold...**_


	13. Chapter 12: Scarred Skies Act 1

**_..._**

 ** _Sonic and Sash: Tides of Chaos 2  
Bad Bloodlines  
Act 3_**

 _Chapter 12: Scarred Skies Act 1: Engine Failure_

* * *

It wasn't long before the group had reached the top of the elevator shaft to the sky speedway around the massive near-moon-sized island currently being surrounded by the massive serpent mech attacking it. Sonic skidded to a halt as he looked out at the massive island in the center of the speedway.

"Jeez..." He breathed. "It seems like only yesterday when I had to stop this place from being destroyed by Eggman... and now this with everyone along for the ride." He crossed his arms. "We're gonna need to be careful here. Even with two of the Chaos Emeralds on our side, that's not enough to go super. Meaning we need to find another way to take that thing down." He looked over the edge of the speedway down to the giant lake below him. "And that's a hell of a drop down. Chances are we're gonna be toast if any of us fall down..."

"True that." Sash said as she walked up next to Sonic, her fists tightened. "...I get the feeling there might not be any coming back from this." She looked to Sonic. "Are you ready for this Sonic?"

The hedgehog merely nodded, clenching his fists. "This is gonna be it. The last fight for our future." He stayed silent for a second before he spoke again. "Hey... if we don't make it out at the end of this, I-"

"You don't need to finish that sentence." Sash spoke. "I'm... I'm willing to take whatever consequences might unfold from all this. Even if it means game over for both of us."

Sonic gripped her hand firmly. "Ready?"

Sash nodded. "For anything." She said, a hint of confidence in her tone before another voice spoke.

"Ah, the hedgehog! You're alive!" The voice said before Sonic and Sash whipped around to see a figure that had bared a striking resemblance to Eggman, though one distinct feature set him apart from the mad egg doctor and that was the distinctive toucan beak at the front of his face.

"Doctor Ucano!" Sonic said, both he and Sash bowing at the sight of the scientist.

"At ease my comrades." Ucano stated, allowing the two to get up. "There are much more pressing issues at hand."

"I understand, involving the current situation." Sonic said, standing up. "Sash, this is Doctor Ucano. Ucano, Sash Lilac."

"A pleasure to meet you in person, sir." Sash said, giving a small nod.

"Ah, nothing less than I would have expected from a descendant of the princess!" Ucano replied. "And before you ask, it should be no coincidence that you and the princess share the same last name."

Sash merely nodded. "Understood. We need to get over there before that insane sociopath destroys everything and everyone and re-writes history altogether."

Ucano merely nodded. "I can tell of your urgency. However, there needs to be a method of getting you over there safely without being blasted out of the sky. Otherwise it will be all for naught."

"Can't we get in through the normal staff entrance?" Sonic spoke. "That's how I got into the Empire my first time I got here."

Ucano merely shook his head. "That rambunctious feline destroyed the bridge docking bay, and she's keeping monitor on any airborne vehicles in the area and blasting them down!"

"Shoot..." Sash breathed. "She's really doesn't want us getting in there..."

"Well we don't have a choice!" Sonic said as the rest of the group arrived. "We gotta get over to that island and stop them before the island is destroyed along with history itself!"

"Well..." Ucano spoke. "If you're finding a way over there, best be it that you disable the ferrofluid within the engine rooms so that the weapon cannot be powered up more than it already is. The sooner they're shut down, the better."

Sash nodded. "Get yourself to safety, doctor." She said. "You need to live for the future to remain the same."

Ucano merely nodded. "You say this as if I don't know of this!" He said, pulling out a remote. "I will have Gerem get the princess to safety. Your group focus on stopping my creation before the damage becomes irrepairable!"

Sash nodded as the doctor hit a button on the remote and warped away in a flash of red. "Alright, so how are we going to get over there without getting blown out of the sky?"

"I might have the solution to that." Tails said, pulling up a holographic map of the entire floating city. "There's another entrance way down below the range of where Corazon has the Bakunawa patrolling at. We can enter in through this staff entrance here..." He said, enlargening the image of the other entrance in the area. "If we can sneak through here and disable the ferrofluid engines, we can stop that mech from getting any more powerful than it already is!"

"Alright, so we have a viable entrance," Sonic said. "Now how are we gonna get over there?"

"There's gotta be an extra transport vehicle nearby that we can use..." Carol said before noticing what appeared to be a transport shuttle. "Ah, there we are!" She said, rushing over to the shuttle. "Now if I just cross these wires here..." She said, before the shuttle roared to life. She smirked. "Heh, looks like that hot-wiring class I got from the Scarves wasn't useless after all!"

"I'll pilot it." Tails said, hopping into the driver's seat. "We'll need the precision."

"Just make sure we don't get shot out of the air." Milla spoke. "Falling off is one thing, crashing..."

"Just relax Ruff Stuff." Carol said. "I'm sure Tailsy can get us there safely."

"I can only hope..." Milla spoke. "I may be a psychic, but my clairvoyance has not developed fully yet..."

Tails gripped the wheel tightly. "You guys ready?" He said, getting the engine revving into motion.

Sash and Sonic gripped their seats. "Ready." They both said.

"Alright... here we go!" Tails said, slamming his foot on the thrust pedal. The five were pressed back into their seats as Tails maneuvered the craft towards the underside of the island. Though, things were short-lived as soon shots from the Bakunawa started grazing the craft.

"Shoot!" Tails yelled. "We're going in for a rough landing! Hold on guys!" Carol clamped her eyes shut and gritted her teeth as Tails guided the now-nearly-out-of-control craft towards the entrance on the underside of the island. The craft soon had one of its back thrusters exploded, and the craft started losing altitude, causing Tails slaming his foot on the thruster and rocketing the craft for the entrance.

"W-WE'RE GONNA CRASH!" Sash yelled as she and Sonic gripped their seats, both their eyes closing tightly as the craft slammed into the entrance of the island...

* * *

"Unnnngghh... Carol groaned, trying to sit up and lean against the back was of where she was. A searing pain was shooting through her arm, causing her to flinch in pain as she gripped it with her good arm. "G-guys? Y-you there?"

"Carol?" Sash's voice said, causing the wildcat to look around.

"S-Sash? Y-you there?" Carol weakly said. Her question was soon answered as Sash had came around the corner from some rubble, a bit cut up and bruised.

"A bit banged up, but fine." Sash said, kneeling down next to her feline friend. "Just grateful you're alive. Can you stand?"

"B-barely..." Carol said, weakly standing up, her knees buckled a bit as she stood. "I-I think my arm's broken though... I can't feel it... a-are the others okay?"

"A bit banged and bruised, but we're still alive." Sash said. "The only problem is now Corazon knows we're in here..."

"Y-yeah... kinda wish that didn't happen..." Carol said, gripping her limp arm as she sharply inhaled from pain. "Nnnnngghh... Aaaaahnn..."

"Does it hurt that bad?" Sash asked, helping her friend forward.

"W-worse..." Carol sputtered out, trying to hold back her pained tears. "It hurts like hell..."

"Don't worry..." Sash reassured. "There has to be Life Petals somewhere in storage around here somewhere."

"L-let's hope..." Carol choked out as she limped along in Sash's grasp. "W-wait, where are the others?"

"They're looking for Life Petals as well." Sash spoke. "Milla, despite how durable she's gotten, took a pretty bad hit."

"W-worse than me?"

"I'd say so." Sash spoke. "I'm just afraid the damage might be irreversible in her case..."

"...her legs broke, didn't they?" Carol saodly asked, only for a somber nod from her draconic friend as a reply. "I-I figured as much..."

"Sonic's looking all over the place and Tails is keeping his eyes on Milla for any responses." Sash answered.

"R-responses?" Carol asked. "D-did she get knocked out?"

"Pretty badly." Sash said. "She's still breathing, but she hasn't moved since we found her..."

The wildcat cringed at the thought of her friend being in a coma, evident in her shudder. "I hope sh-she's okay..."

"Same here..." Sash said as the two soon rounded a corner, seeing Tails tending to the unconscious Milla. "How's she doing Tails?"

"Her vitals have calmed down." Tails said. "She'll live."

"And her legs?"

"Several fractures and two shattered ankles." Tails spoke. "Unless we find her some Life Petals... she may never walk again..."

The wildcat cringed at the thought of her friend losing her legs. Sash soon sat her next to the unconscious Basset. "Any luck finding any Life Petals?"

Tails shook his head. "Sonic's still looking for them."

Sash merely nodded. "I'll go off and help him search. Carol, you need rest. Stay here with Tails and Milla until we get back, I care about your safety right now and I'm not about to lose you and Milla."

Carol weakly nodded, as much as it pained her to stay behind. "U-understood." She said as Sash took off...

* * *

"Dammit..." The hedgehog said as he looked through the ruined labs. "Several drawers and chests gone through and no sign of those damn Life Petals!" He let out a disgruntled sigh. "I can't give up searching for them yet. There's gotta be some here..."

"Sonic!" A voice said before he looked behind him to see the dragoness running up. "Any luck?"

The hedgehog shook his head. "No dice." He said. "Nearly everything I've found so far has had nothing helpful. What about you, any luck on your end?"

The dragoness shook her head. "Only finding Carol with a broken arm."

"Ouch." Sonic said. "Then we need to find those Life Petals pronto."

"Agreed." Sash replied, before the two started searching in the lab area. "There's gotta be some around here..."

After a solid five minutes of searching, the two still hadn't found even a trace of any kind of Life Petals anywhere. At this point Sonic was getting more frustrated before punching a hole in the wall.

"DAMMIT!" He yelled angrily. "Are there no Life Petals anywhere here?!"

"There's gotta be..." Sash said, soon finding what appeared to be a small sack in a drawer. Curiosity getting the better of her, she opened up she opened up the small sack and found it to be filled with sapphire colored petals.

"Hey, Sonic!" She called. "I found something!"

"What'cha find?" He said, dashing over to her before skidding to a halt.

"Might have found the one thing that might heal Carol and Milla." She spoke. "They're not red, but they're the only shot we've got."

"Well let's hope these work." Sonic said as Sash stored them away in one of her pockets. "Let's get to back to the others."

"Agreed." Sonic said, before the two took off back towards where the group was located. It wasn't long before they came across them, Milla having finally regaining consciousness.

"H-hey Sash... Sonic..." Milla stuttered. "A h-hell of a wakeup call to c-come to..."

"Your mind still holding up girl?" Sash said, kneeling down next to her basset friend.

"M-my mind is still as clear as ever." Milla spoke. "I-I'm lucky it didn't get damaged in the crash..."

"Same." Sash spoke. "We found what appeared to be a bag of Life Petals in a destroyed lab nearby. If anything, these should help."

"I hope..." Milla said as the dragoness took one of the blue petals out of the satchel. Taking a deep breath, Milla opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out, Sash lightly pressing the petal onto the basset's tongue before she pulled it back into her mouth and lightly swallowed, a small shudder shaking her body as she did. At first, there was no reaction... that was until she bit her lip as a bitter taste filled her mouth, her hands gripping the metal ground as tightly as possible. A light moan escaped from her mouth as a small blue glow seemed to come off her fur for a bit before it stopped altogether. Milla panted as she clutched her chest, finally being able to move her legs and pulled them into her body. "Aaaaahhh..."

"Is it bitter?" Sash asked.

"V-very much so..." Milla breathed. "B-but they work..."

"At least that's a relief..." Carol spoke. "I-I'd rather have just a bitter taste in my mouth than constant pain and numbness of a broken arm. G-give me one." Sash nodded, handing the wildcat a petal, who then popped it into her mouth and swallowed. Her breathing quickened and her eyes clamped shut as she locked her teeth together, but her expression didn't change or show any kinds of pain once the ordeal was over... aside from the gag reflex.

"Aaack..." Carol gagged. "Y-yeah, that's really freakin' bitter..."

"Can you at least move your arm?" Sash asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I can move that now..." Carol said, getting to her feet. "At least they work, that's what matters..."

Milla nodded. "Very much so." She spoke. "Despite their bitter taste, they do work wonders on broken bones and fractured ribs."

"Then we ready to go?" Sonic said. "We've got a small window of time right now. We fail now, and history's gone for good."

Sash nodded. "Is everyone else ready?"

"I've always been afraid of dying." Carol spoke. "But I'm not allowing my psychopathic sister to delete my best friend out of history. I'm ready."

"My powers will be necessary for this trek." Milla spoke, a cube forming in each hand. "I am ready."

"I'm ready for whatever comes our way." Tails said, gripping his blaster. "Let's do this."

Both Sonic and Sash nodded before looking to eachother and gave one last nod. Then the five took off into the deep inner sanctum of the Empire...

* * *

"I need my security cameras online. Now." Corazon's voice was just as emotionless as usual yet, as she spoke, its pace was slightly faster and clipped. AAA could feel through those subtle hints, even without getting to see her body language given she was using the communicator, that the feline's patience was just about exhausted.

"H-hold on, hold on..." AAA grumbled as he quickly downloaded the camera footage from the mech he was currently rebuilding into his portable device. "You told me to finish that p-project in pri-pri-priority. I-"

"No excuses." Corazon interrupted him mid-sentence. "I need to know if there are any intruders in the Empire. Quickly."

"R-roger" AAA said before he uploaded the footage into a security monitor. "Let's see..." Then, as he checked the footage, his eyes widened as he saw a familiar group going through the corridors.

"B-boss? We got a problem..."

"Speak."

"They-they're alive. And the-they're making their w-w-way through the engine r-rooms as we s-speak."

There was a pause of a few seconds as the feline thought. "Dispatch Agent Krimson. I want them eliminated. Bring back my sister alive if practical. Else, kill her too."

"R-roger bo-boss..." AAA responded before realizing that Corazon had ended the communication the very moment she finished giving her orders. Rolling his eyes, he turned on the communicator again. "H-hey, birdbrain!" He yelled over the communicator. "Y-you're up first for killing the p-pests!"

"Roger Battery."

"O-one more thing. Dispose of our 't-trash' in the cell keep on that island." AAA added. "A-after all, I t-think boss would appreciate n-not having a l-lizard taking up a-a holding space."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." The voice grumbled before it cut out. AAA soon turned his attention back to the mech.

* * *

"Careful my friends." The basset spoke as soon they entered into a large vacant room with little to no solid ground. "This appears treacherous..."

"There's no floor. Anywhere in this room for that matter..." Carol spoke, looking down from the entryway to the gigantic freezing lake below, sending a shiver up her spine. "That's a hell of a nasty drop..."

"I could try flying us across." Tails said. "But I'd pretty much have to take you guys one at a time, and well..."

"We don't have time for that." Sash spoke. "Every passing second is destroying our chances of stopping Corazon from her dragon genocide."

Tails nodded. "R-right..."

"At ease my comrades." Milla spoke. "I sense high concentrations of electricity built up in here. If what I am to predict is possibly correct, flying inbetween those magnetic ferrofluid pillars could possibly result in an electrocution of both the flyer and the passenger..." She sighed, closing her eyes. "But I may feel there can be a way I can get you all over there safely."

"Dare I ask, how?" Carol fired back.

"It's simple, really. A couple of these..." Milla spoke, several Phantom Spheres forming in her one hand. "And a couple of stones..."

"...what do you have in mind?" Carol asked, putting a hand on her hip.

"Never underestimate an element manipulator..." Milla spoke, her eyes glowing now as she launched the Phantom Spheres into several parts of the walls in the vast room. She inhaled deeply, her arms crossing over infront of her chest as her frame started shaking, her ears starting to lift from the psychic power she was exerting as her eyes glowed a vibrant orange and her hands trembled. With a growl ripping through her throat, she quickly ripped her arms to her sides away from her chest and, in response, several rock chunks ripped themselves out along the walls of the massive room.

"N-now, g-g-go!" Milla yelled. "I-it's literaly taking a-all of m-my power to keep these c-chunks out! A-any more mental s-strain will b-break my f-focus!"

"But what about you?" Sash asked.

"D-don't worry about me! You g-guys have a h-history to save!" Milla breathed. "J-just go!"

Sash hesitated... then nodded. "Let's go then." She spoke, leaping onto the outcropping and making her way across the ledges as the others followed suit, aside from Milla. The instant Carol had reached the far side with the others, Milla's concentration gave out and the rock outcroppings collapsed from their ledges, falling below out of the room...

"I'll try to find another way around!" Milla called. "You guys just keep going that way, and we'll try to meet back up later!"

"But..." Sash spoke.

"I'll be fine! Sash, I promise!" Milla spoke. "Now hurry! You have a future to save!"

Sash merely nodded. "Let's go guys." She said before running ahead, the others following suit.

Milla sighed. "Alright... now I need to find that generator and shut down the power. That'll stop the ferrofluid from powering the weapon, then I'll try to find an elevator to the upper part of the city. Where is it..."

It wouldn't take long before she soon found herself in a large room a central pillar, three smaller pillars with the familiar metallic fluid flowing up through them, seemingly pulsating in an almost hypnotic fashion. At the back of the room was a elevator lift. Attatched to the central pillar appeared to be a control panel of sorts, several machines whirring nearby connected to the console. Milla quickly rushed over to the console and started typing on it.

"Let's see..." She breathed, quickly searching through the folders on the console. "I may not know about computers a whole lot... but the generators must be listed under system operations..." She quickly swiped her paw to the side on the screen soon bringing up a screen that looked like a login. "Ah, here we are. This must be the settings. Now what would the password be..." Her thoughts raced a bit as looked at the screen. "Let's see... 'Ba-ku-na-wa'." She typed in, only to be met with a buzz of denial. "Damn... come on..." She growled, typing several passwords into the console; 'Empire', 'Dragons', 'Ferrofluid'... but nothing was working. Frustration soon overtook her and she slammed her fists on the keyboard, exasperated from the fact that nothing she was trying was working. "Nnnnngh... there's gotta be something I can think of..." It was at that point a switch clicked in her head. She then typed her last guess into the console;

'Lilac'.

Just like that the machine accepted it and went into the command settings. Milla smirked before she swiped her paw across to the screen and brought up the power options. She soon hit the command prompt to confirm shutting down the ferrofluid generators... until she felt the barrel of a gun pressed to the back of her head, causing her to freeze.

"Tried to shut down the generators are we?" A familiar accent spoke. "Nice try mate, but I don't think you're gonna get off that easily."

"...how did you know?" Milla said, slowly lifting her hands off of the keyboard.

"I figured that ol' Corzy would think someone would try to up and shut down the generators." The voice said. "She just needs me to... 'neutralize' the threat, let's just say that."

"...heh. That amuses me." Milla spoke. "Here you are threatening to kill a fourteen year old girl, and yet you say _I'm_ the threat?"

"A threat to the bosses' plans." The figure said again. "Nothin' personal kid, but I'm gonna have to take you out..."

"Funny." Milla spoke, before a chunk of earth flung the tengu backwards before she quickly whipped off her own sweatshirt and beige top, leaving her in her compression shorts and her chest wraps. "I personally don't feel like dying today!"

"Ah, a resilient little runt, are ya?" Kalaw said, taking to the air. "Well then, this was gonna be quick and easy, but if ya wanna be bloody, I'm more than happy to oblige in your death!"

Milla's eyes glowed. "I'd like to see you try..." She growled before she pulled up a shield to protect herself from the fired missiles from Kalaw's suit. Several of them whizzed right by Milla and struck the piping, the black liquid starting to spew out into the room like a fountain.

"You're not going to betray anyone any longer!" Milla growled, throwing a Phantom Sphere straight through her shield at Kalaw. The tengu had no comeback but instead slashed at the sphere, cleaving it in two and having it blow up to the sides of him before he rushed straight at the basset, the energy blade clashing against the shield. Milla strained herself and shook, trying to keep the shield up as her frame shook, blood starting to run down her face from her nose. It wasn't long before her mind gave out, the blade cleaving through the shield and knocking the basset backwards against the wall, the black liquid starting to pour on her as she struggled to get up. She froze when she felt the barrel pressed against her forehead.

"See? What'I tell ya?" Kalaw spoke. "You'd die a bloody death. Your tail would make a perfect mount on Corzy's wall..."

Milla remained still; she new there could almost be no escape out of this without some form of an injury. Like it or not she'd only get out of this a bloody way. Her mind raced to come up with a solution to get out of this mess...

Her eyes caught sight of the ferrofluid dumping out of the broken pipe behind Kalaw's figure. She knew something was going to be consequential if she pulled what she would, but at this rate, she didn't have a choice. She inhaled, clamped her eyes shut, and forcefully thrusted her feet straight into Kalaw's chestplate, knocking him backwards through the dumping liquid as she got to her feet and discarded her inhibitor bracelets, the runic veins now spreading across her body as her eyes flashed to the familiar berserk shade of crimson red. As a growl ripped through her throat she flung two more Phantom Spheres at Kalaw, bursting them open within his vicinity. Kalaw took the brunt of the blast before firing off several rounds at the basset before launching a huge bomb. The basset roared, throwing up a shield before she grabbed the bomb itself, Phantom Claws extending from her knuckles before she whipped it around and slammed it back into Kalaw. The tengu had no time to react before the bomb blew up in front of him, knocking him through another one of the massive ferrofluid pipes.

Milla's vision was swirling, blood flowing from her nose as she struggled to stay upright, her fists clenched and her frame shaking, struggling to keep her power restrained as she stared down Kalaw.

"Y-you really think you won m-mate?" Kalaw stammered, taking into the air again, the metallic fluid dripping off his armor. "I'm still battin' a thousand and you're almost on ya last legs!" He said, merging his front guns into a massive cannon. "Time for your bloody demise ya little wanka!"

"I-I wouldn't advise doing that..." Milla choked out.

"Heh, what would you know? You're nothing more than a stupid mutt!" Kalaw spoke, not noticing the electrical sparks dancing off his armor. "Kiss your life goodbye!"

"It's not my life I'm w-worried about..." Milla muttered. Soon enough the robotic attachments to the tengu started malfunctioning and sparking out of control, nearly looking like a morbid fireworks show, sending said bird into a state of panic.

"What the bloody- gyyaaaaAAAAHHH!" The tengu roared in pain as light cracks started sparking through his armor, growing brighter and more blinding. Milla shielded her eyes as the explosion took place, soon feeling something sharp stabbing into her side as she yelped in pain. She moved her arms after the light died down...

...only to see the bloodied and mangled burnt corpse of the tengu she fought, lying in a pile of scrap metal. Milla's stomach turned at the sight of the mangled corpse, holding back the urge to hurl as she weakly stumbled and grabbed her sweatshirt and inhibitor rings, trying to ignore the searing pain in her thigh as she limped to the lift elevator in the room, hitting the button on the wall and having the door open. She limped into the door before she slunk to the floor after hitting the button to the main city level, then collapsed, her back resting against the elevator wall, as she couldn't feel her left leg. Cringing a bit, she slowly yanked the metal out of her flesh and fur, letting out a pained yelp as she tied her sweatshirt as a bandage to soak up the excess blood that would pour out of the wound.

"H-hopefully that sh-should hold up the b-bleeding..." Milla sputtered. "If not... S-sash, C-carol... I-I don't regret ever m-meeting you girls... y-you've made my life light up like n-nothing else... th-thank you..." A light sad smile adorned her face before she slipped into unconsciousness...

* * *

 ** _Next time:  
_** ** _Chapter 13: Scarred Skies Act 2: An Imprisoned Soul..._**


	14. Chapter 13: Scarred Skies Act 2

**_..._**

 ** _Sonic and Sash: Tides of Chaos 2  
Bad Bloodlines  
Act 3_**

 _Chapter 13: Scarred Skies Act 2: An Imprisoned Soul..._

* * *

It hadn't been long before the rest of the group had soon felt the explosion rock the island, nearly causing them to lose their balance. Sash's face immediately turned to worry as she looked back at where they had came from.

"Milla?" Sash breathed, looking back with an expression of worry. "I hope she's okay..."

"What was that explosion anyways?" Carol asked. "Felt like it came from the room where Ruff Stuff split off from us..."

"That might be it." Tails said, checking a map system on the wall nearby. "The main engine room exploded. The entire island is gonna start losing altitude!"

"...how much time do we have left?" Sonic asked, his fists clenching.

"At this rate... we've only got four hours." Tails answered. "After that... the entire island crashes into Mobius-"

"And takes us with it." Sash finished, her fists clenching. "We've got no time to waste. Any more dawdling will wind up with us getting killed before we can stop Corazon."

Sonic nodded. "We're just going to have to go on without Milla. Come on."

The others nodded before taking off into the inner areas of the Sky Empire, moving swiftly through the dim hallways before the soon found themselves in a massively scaled room, cells lining the walls with a central pillar containing more cells for what appeared to be prisoners. Spotlights lined the central pillar as they scanned the adorning pathways for any signs of life.

"The prison hold..." Sonic spoke, his fists clenched. "I remember this place. After Eggman's... 'trial' against me for 'crimes', he threw me down here and expected me to rot. Thankfully with some outside help I managed to break out..."

"Any ideas where we're supposed to go?" Sash asked. "If there's anywhere that we need to go in order to get up to the city limits, you would know."

"The central pillar." Sonic spoke. "There's a lift that'll take us up to the city through the trail room. The first thing we need to do though is to disable the spotlight system... Cory probably has it on to track us down."

Sash nodded, and was about to say something when Carol interrupted.

"Wait... do you guys hear that?" Carol said, her ears twitching. "It... it sounds like sobbing."

"Yeah... I hear it too..." Tails said. "It's close..."

"It's coming from over here!" Carol said, taking off across a walkway on the side of the room adorned with cells.

"I thought that the cells would have been evacuated because of the crisis at hand..." Sash breathed, before noticing Carol stopped in front of a cell, her ears drooped against her head. "Carol?"

"...Sash." Carol spoke. "...I found out what that crying was... you're not gonna like this..."

"...what?" Sash asked cautiously, before looking into the cell.

What she saw in there had twisted her heart badly. A beaten, bloody and bruised Merga was lying against the back of the cell, bruises and marks marring the entire of her bare body, a bloody stump of where her tail originally was. She was curled up against the wall, shaking uncontrolably and evidently traumatized from the tear streams coming down her face from her clamped eyes, not even seeing the dragon and wildcat outside the bars of it.

"Carol, we can't just leave her here like this..." Sash said. "We have to help her."

"Why?" Carol asked. "Sash, do you not remember what she did to you? Do you not remember how much of a wreck you were when Ruff and I got to you?"

"If we leave her to die here we'll be no better than Corazon." Sash spoke. "Besides... it's what sis would want."

"Sis..." Carol paused, looking down, her ears drooped. "You're right. Coral would be ashamed of us if we just left her to die..." Something then caught her eye as she rushed over to the side of the cell. "Breaker switch activated. There must be a switch to her cell somewhere in the hold."

"That's not the only thing." Sash said, pointing to the module the wildcat was near. "There's also a keycard needed to open it."

"Maybe our groups can split off." Carol spoke. "Tailsy and I can look for the switch to shut off the power. Think you can find the keycard?"

Sash nodded. "I promise we will." She spoke before looking over to the hedgehog and the kitsune. "Right guys?"

Sonic nodded in response. "We'll find it."

"I'll lend my full assistance to Carol." Tails spoke. "Just keep in mind this is gonna cost us some time..."

"We'll be fast." Sash spoke. "Come on Sonic, we gotta find that keycard!" Sonic nodded before the two took off away from the cell, leaving Tails and Carol.

"So Tailsy, where do you think the switch would be?" Carol asked. "Any ideas?"

"I'm not exactly sure..." Tails spoke. "But I'm thinking there might be one somewhere up near the top of the room."

"So we've got a hell of a climb, don't we?" Carol asked, her fists clenched. "Well, we've got no other choice. Let's go find that switch."

Tails nodded before the two took off for another inner section of the prison...

* * *

"Alright... is this the breaker room?" Carol asked, looking up in the large cylindrical room they were in. Masses of switches lined the walls as they all flickered in varying intervals almost appearing as a lightshow across the walls.

"Looks like it." Tails spoke. "You remember which cell Merga's was?"

"...shoot." Carol spoke. "I didn't get a look at which number it was... so we're going in blind for this."

"Well then..." Tails said, cracking his knuckles as he approached the terminal. "Looks like I'll have to preform a system shutdown. At least with that we can shut down the security searchlights and make getting back a whole lot easier."

"Alright." Carol said, keeping watch of the entrance. "I got your back Tailsy. Just like old times..."

Tails smirked. "Let's blow it high like Metropolis." He said, his fingers going to work as he typed away at the keyboard, decrypting coding as fast as he could. The wildcat's eyes darted across the pathway leading in before her eyes widened, seeing several drones coming their way. "We've got company."

"Think you can hold them off?" Tails asked. "I'm no more than ten percent into this thing!"

"I can try." Carol spoke, unsheathing her katana. "Just keep hacking!" Soon enough a shot grazed by her head and struck the wall behind her, nearly taking out Tails in the process. The kitsune flinched from the blast before continuing the hacking as Carol started slashing open the drones one by one, scrap heaps falling off the sides of the walkway into the abyss below. Her swordplay flowed from drone to drone, slashing them open with extreme finesse and grace, almost like it was a dance of sorts as she sliced the bots into pieces... until a shot grazed by her ear causing her to yelp in pain. She soon ducked behind the entrance archway, her ears pressed against her head with a pained expression on her face.

"Damn... sniper drones." The wildcat growled, digging into her pockets for something. "Come on, where the he'll did I put those..." She fumbled for a few more seconds before a smirk hit her face. "This ought do the trick..." She said, pulling out a couple shuriken from her pocket as she kept behind the corner. Then, with a quick and sharp movement, she flicked the deadly metal stars at the sniping drones, the blades getting lodged into their circuitry and shut down.

"You've seriously held onto those things since we broke Sonic and Sash out from Shang Tu?" Tails asked. "Why?"

"Hey, it never hurts to be a bit on the safe side." Carol said. "How close are you to hacking that thing?"

"Just about done! Just a few more lines of code ads and..." Tails daid, before grabbing the lever on the side. "NOW!" With a quick yank, the kitsune pulled the lever down as hard as he could, the lights going out in their entirety. The drones started panicking and rushing in the dark, only to either run and fall off the scaffolding or get sliced by Carol's blade or Tails's blaster. Once the walk way was completely strewn with dismantled robots, the wildcat let out a sign of relief.

"Thank god..." Carol sighed. "Good work hacking that console Tailsy."

"I should be thanking you for defending me." Tails retorted. "If it wasn't for you, I'd be deader than anything else."

"True that..." Carol answered. "Let's get back to that cell. With any luck Sash and Sonic are back with the keycard."

"Hopefully." Tails said. "I'm hoping the light absence isn't gonna be too much of an inconvenience..."

"It shouldn't be..." Carol said. "Now c'mon, let's get back to Merga's cell." The kitsune nodded, and the two took off back into the major area of the cell hold...

* * *

"Alright, where would the key cards be stored in this place?" Sonic asked as the two moved quickly across the top of the cell hold. "The only thing I remember was where the exit to the far east wall of the island was."

"There would probably be a data room somewhere among these upper rafters." Sash spoke. "Basic prison layout."

"So where would you suspect it to be?" Sonic asked.

"Up on the left soon." Sash said, skidding to a halt. "It should be inside there."

"Let's hope..." Sonic said, slowing down. "Did you see what her cell number was?"

"I think... A517." Sash answered. "We'll get the card and get back there as soon as we can. We don't know the condition of her state right now. She could be going into shock."

Sonic nodded. "Good thing we've still got those Life Petals."

"True that." Sash answered, before the two rounded the corner, seeing a large circular room, completely in contrast compared to the rest of the prison itself. It was white, almost completely pristine in an almost inhuman way. A small cylinder console sat in the center of the room, what appeared to be a drum containing cards in it lodged on top.

Sonic smirked. "Well, there's our ticket!" He said, running inside the room before Sash could stop him.

"Sonic, wait!" Sash cried, trying to grab his arm, but it was too late. The glass door slammed shut inbetween the two, locking Sonic inside the room. Sonic skidded to a halt before quickly running back towards the door, slamming his fists against it.

"Sash!" Sonic yelled, slamming against the glass door. The glass was apparently soundproof, as Sash appeared to be yelling something but no words were being heard. It wasn't until Sash started motioning behind him that the hedgehog reacted and moved, barely dodging out of the way of a punch that would have broken his skull. Sonic rolled to the side before seeing his attacker that had nearly killed him; none other than the half-dragon mongrel Askal.

"Oh, so you're working for Corazon, are ya?" Sonic said. "Well, I won't hesitate to lay some smack down on ya if that's the case!"

"Hmph." The mongrel grunted, cracking his knuckles. "Who I work for does not matter. You and your friends have interfered for long enough with Corazon's plans. Now I suggest you just submit and die slowly; the dragon blood in my veins will end your life!"

"Dragon blood ain't gonna do jack pal." Sonic retorted, an unamused on his face. "You're not a god just because you have dragon blood in your body."

"That's what you think." Askal said. "The blood that runs through my veins makes me powerful, more than enough to crush you into dust!"

"Do... do you really believe your own hype that much?" Sonic said.

" ** _I AM THE HYPE!_** " Askal roared before lunging straight at Sonic, the claws on his hands extended to slash. Sonic quickly ducked out of the way before swinging a kick to the back of Askal's head. The mongrel was knocked forawrd before rebounding off the wall of the room, slamming both his feet square into Sonic's chest, knocking the wind out of the hedgehog as he slammed against the back wall. Askal soon stepped forward and grabbed Sonic by the neck, pinning him against the wall and leaving the hedgehog struggling for air.

"Your fighting style is weak, unrestrained." Askal commented, his grip tightening, causing the hedgehog to squirm more from losing air. "You're nothing more than a ruffian brawler that relies on frustrating his opponents to get the upper hand. You're not getting that from me..." With raising a clawed hand, he brought it down and slashed against Sonic's right eye, causing the hedgehog to weakly scream in pain from the lack of oxygen, before throwing him to the side, the hedgehog slamming through the console and completely dislodging it, the glass dome shattering and the entire thing spilling over, keycards being strewn everywhere as the hedgehog weakly got to his feet, having to lean on his own knees for his own support as Askal merely strolled over. "Anything else before i finish you?"

"You... you really think you're going to kill me... that easily?" Sonic said as he got up, a nasty gash across his right eye, blood starting to cloud his vision. "I've got news, pal! I'm not giving up! Not as long as Corazon is still going on her genocidal rampage!"

"Hmph... just as foolish as ever." Askal spoke, before a glint appeared in his eyes. "Dodge."

"Wha-" Was all the hedgehog said before the fist collided with his gut, knocking the wind out of him before he hit the back wall and rebounded, hitting the floor before he got up, barely dodging out of the way of a fist to the face before sweeping the feet out from under the mongrel, knocking him down before he delivered a backflip kick straight to Askal's gut. The mongrel flew up into the air before the hedgehog slammed into the mongrel's back, slamming him down to the ground, bouncing with a sickening thud. Askal got back up and slashed at Sonic again, tearing through his jacket and some of the skin below. Sonic grunted in pain before he backflipped and landed, charging up a SpinDash in place. Askal growled and lunged at the hedgehog, but it was for naught as Sonic's SpinDash shot forward and slammed into Askal's chest square on before it tore clean through his chest, leaving him in a pile on the floor. Sonic collapsed to his knees, panting heavily as the blood dripped as the door into the area opened, the dragon rushing to his side.

"Sonic!" Sash cried as she was getting out the Life Petals. "Just hold on!"

"T-t-trying that right now..." Sonic coughed out as he barely remained conscoiusness. Sash merely slipped the blue Life Petal into his mouth before he swallowed it, coughing hoarsely from the bitter taste before the healing power of the petal worked its way, undoing the bloody damage done to him... except for the scar across his eye and his tattered jacket. "That... feels better..."

"Are you able to walk Sonic?" Sash asked concerned.

Sonic nodded, standing up and unzipping his shredded jacket. "I should be able to. Sadly I won't be needing this anymore since that guy ruined it..." He said, discarding his jacket onto the ground of the room. "Let's just get that keycard and get back to Merga. She needs those Life Petals more."

Sash merely nodded, swiftly moving over to the pile of strewn key cards across the ground. "What should we do about Askal?"

"What about him?" Sonic answered the dragon. "He tried to kill me, and chances are, he would have done the same to you. He's more than likely dead from that SpinDash I tore through his chest, so let's not worry about him and focus on the main objective at hand which is breaking Merga out of the cell."

"...alright." Sash spoke, feeling all the bit unnerved at Askal's unmoving corpse lying near the middle of the room. She let out a small shudder as Sonic grabbed the key card and the lights went out, the emergency lights coming on, bathing the room in red light.

"Looks like Tails and Carol did their thing." Sash spoke. "Let's get back to that cell..."

* * *

"Good job getting the power shut off guys!" Sash said as she and Sonic returned to the cell. "You guys okay?"

Carol nodded. "Tailsy and I are perfectly fine... what happened to Sonic?" She asked, noticing the scar across his eye.

"Ambush by Askal." Sonic answered, rolling his shoulder a bit. "He's already out of the way now, so let's get Merga out of there."

"You got the card?"

"Right here." Sash said, pulling it out of her shorts pocket and swiping the card, the bars retracting into the walls before the group rushed to the crumpled figure at the back of the cell. "Merga... are you okay?"

"..." The hybrid dragon didn't say a word, just her chest lightly expanding from her breathing.

"Merga..." Sash spoke, kneeling down to her location. "Please... just speak to us..."

"Power equals power." she finally said. "It's such a simple thing. Power... equals power." Sash was silent, Carol staring at her. Sonic wasn't sure what to say. Then, after a long moment, the hybrid looked at them. "I don't understand. I was... I was supposed to be stronger, smarter, faster. Yet, you are more powerful. How is that?"

Sash looked to Sonic. Sonic had a few ideas for an answer but, he had a feeling none of them would help at the moment. Beside, as he saw the dragoness's look, he guessed what she was thinking of. He smiled faintly. "Carol, Milla, Tails? Let's leave Sash alone for a moment. I think she got this."

The feline nodded and followed the hedgehog, the others leaving Sash alone with Merga.

"Years ago, I would have answered something cheesy like the power of friendship. Or maybe because I'm fighting for a greater cause. Even now, I'm tempted to say it's because I fight for my friends." Sash said slowly, her tone contemplative. "But though that's closer to the truth, I've been in your position enough to know it's not enough."

"I wish I could say we're nothing alike. But after reading the data logs on how you came to be and realizing what Corazon really did to you... I think we're in the same boat."

Merga blinked a few times, unable to understand. "What could you possibly understand about how I feel?"

"I may not be a perfect hybrid created in a lab but I am still a dragon, Merga. I should be faster, stronger, smarter. I am stronger than Carol, faster than Sonic if he didn't have his supersonic sneakers, and smart enough that in theory only Tails in the group can outwit me. And yet..."

She leaned against the wall. She didn't need to finish her sentence for Merga to get it. "The world is more complicated than it seems. It's more than just being fast or strong. And I learnt that something, the strongest person is not necessarily the one who stand the highest but the one who accepts what must be done."

She looked at Merga. "You wanted to fulfill the directive Cordelia gave you. To help. But as you attacked people, as you killed... it felt good. And soon, you couldn't stop. Standing above others just felt... incredible, right?"

"Dragon..." Merga whispered, actually staring at her counterpart.

"I'm not like Sonic or Carol. I... can't tell what's right too well. I try being a good person but the truth is, I don't have the sense of justice that Sonic got or the honor and duty that Carol gets. I can't charge into a melee and instantly know who the bad guys are like Sonic, or not feel guilt and be comfortable doing what I'm meant to do like Carol. I know you mocked my heritage before, Merga. And it hurt me. Because I'm a dragon, like you. And... I have accepted who I am and learnt to love it."

Sash smiled sadly at her counterpart. After a long moment, the hybrid looked at her, her gaze distant and sad. "Why are you opening up like this to me? I am a failure, a disgrace. I was created to be the ultimate, to be one who controls the world. I couldn't even control my own life. I... I'm not even sure I'm a good dragon anymore. I used all of my power, all of the technology I could find and you defeated it all so easily. And then, Corazon threw me away as if I was mere garbage. And now... she wants to... to..."

"I know." Sash said, gently. "It's what Corazon does. It's what people like her does. It wasn't your fault."

Merga looked down, closing her eyes. "And now... because of me, Corazon has the Bakunawa." She held her face in her hands. "That psychopath has my weapon. All because I was blind and weak..."

The hybrid took a deep breathe and then stared at her foe. "... why do you speak to me like this? I hate you. I hate all you stand for."

"It's all you ever knew."

"Yes." Merga admitted.

There was a long pause. "Would you like to know about them?"

Merga blinked a few times. "I know all I need to know about the Three Kingdoms."

"I wasn't talking about the Three Kingdoms." Sash's words put a stop to Merga's tirade before she even got started. "Would you like to know more about them, Merga? About our people? About the dragons? Their legacy? Their culture? Their descendants?"

Merga tried to get up. "Why you little-! Why would you..." But in her weakened state, she stumbled and fell back. Worse yet, she saw no fear or even anger on her foe's face. Was she pitying her? Why would she? This is ridiculous!

"What do you know of the dragons, Merga? Of your people?"

"More than you!" she snarled.

"Then talk. We have plenty of time."

Merga panted. She felt such rage. All she could think was that an inferior being dared to question her. Yet... who was inferior here? She remembered all the battles she lost, how she achieved so little, how that dragon had done so much. This... dragon. A dragon. A real one. Not born in a lab. Not merely designed.

Her rage pettered out and the dam broke. She almost didn't have the strength to stop the tears from coming. "I'm... I'm a real dragon. I'm... I'm not an abomination. I'm... I'm the future. I... I..."

But as her stump of a tail caused her to lose balance, pain and the metal of her cell crushed her with a cold finality. "... who am I kidding?"

She stared at her lavender counterpart... "I was... I was born to be the future. To be the future of dragons. I think... it's useless now. I'm the past. An echo from generations ago. I'm... I'm worthless, a relic from an age past. This world, it belongs to you."

Merga blinked away the tears... and noticed an outstretched hand. The dragoness... she was...?

"You are alive. Come with us, Merga. Life is too short to wallow in misery. I'll show you the culture of the dragons. We'll run with Sonic through the place dragons call home. I'll show you their friends, their cities. We'll bask in their achievements together. And together, we will leave our mark on it."

"I don't... I don't think I belong..." Merga said, her voice shaking.

"You are here. You are alive. Just grab my hand and come with me."

"But... Corazon. She is going to destroy the Sky Empire, tear apart all of time and space and reshape our world into one where dragons have no place. Even if I go with you... we have no future."

"Corazon will lose." Sash said, conviction mixed to her gentle tone.

Merga stared at Sash for a moment. "But she... she... did you see what she did to me? My pride, my tail, my weapons..."

"She took away my tendrils and my horns. Dragons are hardy. If I can recover from this, you can too."

Merga sighed deeply and stared at her foe. "I hate you. I hate the Three Kingdoms. You're a fool..."

"You can change." Sash said.

"And how would you know?"

"Because I did, too."

There was a long silence between the two. Slowly, tentatively, Merga reached out. Then, Sash grabbed her hand and helped her up. And as Merga managed to get up to her feet... Sash shown her a handful of Life Petals, smiling.

"Like I regrown my tendrils, regrow your tail."

"It still won't change a thing if Corazon kill us all."

"That won't happen." Sash said.

"What makes you sure she will lose?"

Sash smiled confidently. "Because I know she will."

Leading Merga out of the cell, the group stared at her. It was so strange, seeing the hybrid looking so unsure, so shaky, so... normal. She had looked like a monster, posing in intimidating ways in that armor of hers before. Looking at her now... other than her freakish size, she looked... like any other dragon, actually. Carol and Sonic weren't too sure what they thought of her but Tails could understand. It reminded him of Shadow.

"Get out of the island and wait for us. Once this is over, I have things to show you." said Sash.

"You're sure?" asked the tall dragoness again.

"We will meet again. Be careful on the way back. I have a lot to show you."

Merga merely nodded before she took off away from the rest of the group. With that done, Sash turned back to the group, her priorities shifted. "How much time do we have left Tails?"

"Only about three hours." He said, checking his comm unit. "Empire integrity is only at about seventy-five percent right now..."

"That should be more than enough time." Sash spoke, starting to walk. "Sonic, where's the lift to the city limits?"

"Over off this way." He said, pointing to another pathway along the cells.

Sash smirked. "Then let's get moving. We have an Empire to save..." She spoke before the four took off across the pathways towards the lift...

* * *

"J-just a little bit m-more a-and..." The monkey spoke, fiddling with the wiring inside the main head of the mech. "B-bingo! Perfectly r-restored!" He said, stepping back to admire his own technological marvel. The sleek brown hull, the crimson red lenses, the massive wings... it was perfect, just the way he had wanted it.

"N-now to s-start the reboot p-process..." He muttered to himself, scampering over to the console nearby and rapidly typing in for the rebooting process. A small whirr sounded as the two lenses on the mech's eyes, went black, green text starting to flow across it at a swift rate. "Wh-when it's all said a-and d-done, this th-thing will be an u-unstoppable k-killing machine! N-none of those half-h-h-h-hearted lizards w-will survive this machine's w-wrath!" The twitch in his eye now in ful force, his head cocked back and he let out a frantic laugh like his sanity was gone... until the loudspeakers came back on.

"When you are DONE embracing your ancestors in screeching incessantly like an absolute idiot, get your ass out to the Empire immediately." Corazon spoke over the loudspeakers, her monotone voice having a hint of anger in it. "Both our agents are dead and we can't afford to have any more delays as of now."

"Y-yeah yeah..." AAA grumbled as he walked over to his personal robo-armor. "I might as well give those little runts a piece of my mind..." He said as his armor descended through the floor, not even noticing the small flash in the lenses of the mech...

* * *

 _ **Next time:  
Chapter 14: Scarred Skies Act 3: A Ruined Home...**_


	15. Chapter 14: Scarred Skies Act 3

**_..._**

 ** _Sonic and Sash: Tides of Chaos 2  
Bad Bloodlines  
Act 3  
_**

 _Chapter 14: Scarred Skies Act 3: A Ruined Home..._

* * *

"This the lift?" Sash breathed, looking at the steel doors in front of them. "Looks... kinda shifty..."

"This is gonna be our only way up into the city though..." Sonic spoke. "And considering what little time he have to flex... we really don't have time to try and find another way up."

"True..." Sash spoke, hitting the button on the elevator wall. "We still have three hours, but we need to make the most of that time." She sighed, looking to Tails and Carol. "You two okay with this?"

Carol remained still for a second as the lift descended to their level... then nodded. "It's what we need to do. To stop Corazon." The wildcat responded. "It's... it's what we need to do."

Tails nodded. "We can't let our world be destroyed by her." He said, stepping onto the lift. "It's what we need to do for everyone."

Sash merely nodded. "That's what I thought." She said, noticing that Carol felt a bit... off from her usual spunky self. Whether it was the seriousness of the situation or something else, she didn't know, but she couldn't lose focus on their goal they had to accomplish.

Carol sighed as the lift doors closed and the ascension up towards the surface of the island, her arms slightly shaking as the lift slowly climbed. Looking out brought the veiw of several other lifts in the same shaft, more than likely from other locations under the entire complex itself. Some inactive, some having rubble obstructed in the shafts, some completely destroyed...

"Hey... Carol?" Sash asked. "You're a bit... tense right now... something wrong?"

Carol looked away. "..." She didn't seem like she wanted to talk, avoiding eye contact with Sash for some reason.

"Carol?" Sash asked, concern in her voice.

"...it's almost here." Carol said, looking up, her ears back against her head. Sash would notice the faint tears staining her furry cheeks. "Sash... you know what day is almost upon us..."

"...right..." Sash breathed. "That day... it's here, isn't it?"

"Y-yeah..." Carol said, tears starting to stream. "I-it's here... Coral's day of death..." She spoke, collapsing to her knees, burying her face in her hands. Sash kneeled down to comfort her feline friend.

"Carol..." Sash softly spoke, gently rubbing her friend's back. "It'll be okay... it'll be okay..."

Carol shook a bit, soon Tails and Sonic joining her side to help comfort. "Carol..." Tails spoke, hugging his love tightly. "Everything is gonna be alright... I promise..."

"Y-you think so?" Carol asked.

"I know so..." Tails said, hugging the wildcat closely. "We'll stick to eachother through this until the end..."

Carol sadly smiled, hugging the kitsune. "Th-thanks Tailsy.."

"Hey guys... hate to burst the moment, but..." Sonic said, pointing out to another elevator in the gigantic shaft. "Isn't that... one of our teammates?"

The other four looked out and their hearts sank to see the slumped form of their friend lying against the back wall of her lift, appearing to be passed out from blood loss.

"Milla!" Sash cried, soon rushing to the door of the lift they were in. "Come on, come on dammit..." Soon enough the door dinged indicating the lift had reached the designated floor and Sash didn't even wait for the door to open, immediately bursting into a Dragon Boost and smashing the doors apart, immediately rushing around to the other lift where she saw her collapsed friend, ripping the doors off before clutching her friend close.

"Milla... y-you there girl?" Sash spoke, a small waver in her voice. "Come on girl... don't die on me..."

Silence.

"Milla... please..." Sash breathed, clutching her basset friend closer, tears starting to stream down her face. "Say something..."

More silence as the rest of the group came in.

"Milla..." Sash cried, tears in full effect. "P-Please..."

"...mmmh..." A light moan came from the basset's mouth, her frame starting to tremble a bit as her consciousness came back to her mind. "S-Sash? I... is that y-you?"

"Milla!" Sash cried. "Come on girl, stay with me!"

"Sa-ash..." Milla moaned, setting a paw on her friend's chest. "L-leg-g..." The dragon got the hint, immediately ripping the bloody sweatshirt off the basset's leg and applying pressure using her own hands as she reached into her back pocket. "Come on, come on, where is it?!" Sash panicked, digging into her pocket to try and grab the Life Petals, her heart starting to sink when she couldn't find them...

"I gotcha Sash." Carol said, getting the Life Petal pouch out of her pocket. The dragon breathed a sigh of relief as she took the pouch from the feline and soon had the blue petals set onto the tongue of the basset. The blossoming puppy swallowed after she closed her mouth, her face contorting into a twisted scowl from the bitterness of the petals, her hands curling in as she endured the bitter taste swirling through her mouth.

"A-aahh... ow..." Milla winced. "I-I think the petals a-are kicking in..." Milla stuttered, a searing pain shooting through her leg as the wound closed up. "Y-yeah, they're running their course..."

"It's like I've said before girl..." Sash spoke, hugging her basset friend. "I promised I'd protect you and help no matter what would be thrown at all of us, but I'm not about to back down on that promise..."

Carol soon joined next to her dragon and basset friends. "You got that right." She said. "We're family. We stick together until the bitter end..." The three fell silent before they joined eachother in a group hug, holding eachother tightly. "We're family... family forever..."

Milla somberly nodded. "So... shall we go on?"

Sash nodded. "We shall..." She said, standing up with Carol. Milla tried to stand up, but judging from her wobbling knees, she wasn't too fit do do walking from her blood loss. "A-aahh..."

"Need a hand?" Sonic said, lifting the basset onto his back. Milla wrapped her arms around the waist of the hedgehog as she held onto his back.

"Thanks Sonic..." She spoke. "So... where do we go to? This is a big place..."

"The central Spire." Sonic spoke, pointing to the large red spire in the distance, the bubbling black ferrofluid seeming to build its way up the mount... taking other structures with it. "And from the looks of things, we might be running out of time."

"Then we need to get moving." Sash spoke, her fists tightening. "We ready?"

Carol nodded. "Ready."

Sash tensed up. "Then let's go..." The dragon spoke, the group taking off into the ruined city. It wasn't long before they say what true horror was unfolded in front of them; several collapsing buildings around them, the black ferrofluid dripping out of them like veins. Crumbled statues and twisted roadways lie in rubble, with the occasional large fragment of glass from the massive dome above falling and shattering onto the streets themselves. Any vegetation growing had been ripped up and strewn about, the once lively storefronts now abandoned and destroyed, shattered glass and rubbled buildings all around...

"To think... this place used to be so beautiful..." Sash muttered to herself. "And now its in ruins..."

"Sash! Watch your six!" Carol yelled, giving Sash barely enough reaction time before the massive piece of debris crashed into the ground, nearly breaking the group apart. "This entire city's collapsing around us!"

"At least it's not on fire..." Sonic muttered...

"Then let's get moving!" Sash spoke, dodging more debris as her audio player started up on its own...

* * *

 _"Audio log, Kim Lilac."_

 _"We have managed to capture and seal up the hybrid known as Merga. For the longest time, I was wondering if it was just Cordelia's madness speaking, if it was just her medication having failed. But when I stared at what she commissioned those scientists to create, what they actually created..."_

 _"This... is what she thought our people are. This, is what she thinks we all are. But more than anything else, it is a living thing. Given the way she was modified, I'm amazed she's viable and not unstable."_

 _"But while what she represent horrify me, I was able to convince everyone to let her live. Merga can't be rehabilitated. Not right now. The situation is too dire and people would have questions, questions no one can really answer right now without causing a war. Still... Merga is a dragon. A freaky, horrible one genetically predisposed to be a psycho one... but she's a dragon nonetheless."_

 _"So... I convinced everyone to lock her up in cryostasis. As a dragon, she'll be able to survive it. Someday, I hope someone will wake her and maybe be able to help her, allow her to live a normal life. As it stand, I'm faced with a rather colossal task. I... didn't expect this mess. I thought Cordelia would be a good ruler. That the world would be safe under the rule of bloodlines like hers. But I realize that our culture and the Avalicians' have not mixed as well as I thought it would. There are serious social issues and it seems I'll have to take things into my own hands. I... just hope I'm up to it."_

 _"...the time is coming soon. I know not of the future... but perhaps its for the best. End entry."_

* * *

"F-freaking little r-runts messing up the b-boss's plans and making me h-have to do the d-damn ditry work..." The monkey growled, starting up his own mech as he got ready to depart from the Sigwada. "I-I don't even care if her s-sister is part of that little ragtag group, t-they're all getting themselves d-d-demoleculari-i-ized for me t-to study their d-data. H-hell, maybe even re-mold her sister's DNA in her mind to be like her, s-see the potential t-that we truly ha-ave, and not be h-hanging out with that p-pathetic l-little lizard. M-maybe I'll e-even preform some m-m-memory re-arranging to h-help accentuate t-that..."

He shook his already twitching head. "G-gah, n-never mind that. Let me check the weapons systems..." He growled, looking over the system menu before switching to the weapon systems.

===X-Z WEAPON DATA STORAGE BANKS===

=WHIRLING SAW - DISABLED=  
=ZIP ZAP - DISABLED=  
=CRIMSON TAIL - DISABLED=  
=SNOWSTORM - DISABLED=  
=SUPER CANNON BLAST - DISABLED=  
=ROCK CRUSHER - DISABLED=  
=PSITHUNDER - DISABLED=  
=HAMMAWAMMA - DISABLED=  
=GATLING FIRE - DISABLED=  
=GRENADE BLASTERS - DISABLED=  
=CHAOS CRASH - DISABLED=  
=NOVA BREAKER - DISABLED=

A wild smirk grew on the monkey's insane face as he soon set all the weapon systems to online. "Th-there we go. All the weapons set to t-their bloody e-extremes, ripe f-for the killing... now let's b-bring this barbeq-que straight to those l-little freedom f-fighters!" He said, activating the thrusters on the mech before piloting it out of the Sigwada, switching it over to the grenade blaster as the skin of the mech switched to a jet black, the arms morphing and changing into bomb racks, fully loaded. A targeting module loaded up on the screen in front of him, as well as a pair of triggers.

"T-time to light u-up these little runts!" He screeched, hitting the triggers on his mech, the mouth of it opening up and firing off several large grenades that exploded on impact with the glass dome, shattering several large chunks and starting to make them fall towards the ruined city...

"INCOMING!" Tails yelled as the gigantic glass shards feel, causing the group to scramble. "Watch your sixes guys!"

"What the hell's going on up there?!" Carol yelled. "Are they trying to take the entire island down already?!"

"Just keep moving!" Sonic said, unaware of the fast-falling massive shard of glass falling straight for him...

"SONIC! MILLA!" Carol screamed, but her reaction would have been too slow for trying to save them... had it not been for another figure that had destroyed the gigantic lethal shard, disintegrating it into several tiny pieces. Milla girpped to Sonic tightly, shaking from the near-death experience as the hedgehog frantically looked around, seeing what happened.

"You guys okay?" Sash asked concerned, rushing to her friends.

"I think so..." Milla spoke shakily. "Th-that was too close f-for comfort..."

"You're telling me..." Sonic spoke. "Are they really that insane to just try and collapse the entire island with us on it?"

"More like they're just asserting their dominance." A voice spoke before a figure had leapt down to the rest of the group; a green hedgehog wielding a red sword with a cyan energy blade. "I'm thankful I saw you guys in time, otherwise you might have become sliced meat!"

Sonic smirked. "Long time no see Gerem!" He said, flashing a small thumbs up.

"Wish I could say the same to you Sonic." The green hedgehog spoke. "You've... certainly grown since I last saw you. What happened for you to get so tall?"

"Eh... long story." Sonic answered. "That's besides the point. What's going on right now?"

"That insane feline has the princess captive at the top of the citadel!" Gerem said, pointing to the crumbling spire above them. "There's n-"

"She has my ancestor captive?!" Sash gasped before quickly covering her own mouth in shock, everyone giving her a shocked look, aside from Gerem, who looked confused.

"Ancestor...?" Gerem asked. "Now looking at you, you DO look like the princess..."

 _"Crapbaskets..."_ Sash thought to herself. "U-uh... w-we can explain!"

"...don't think we're gonna be able to hide it Sash." Milla weakly spoke before looking at the green hedgehog. "Sir... this is probably hard to believe, but... we hail from the future. Over a century into it."

"...what." Gerem spoke, before looking at Sonic. "She's kidding, right?"

"..." Sonic was silent before shaking his head. "It's true Gerem. We're from the future."

"...holy shit." Gerem said, his jaw dropping. "That... that explains a lot of things, actually..."

"Focus Gerem." Tails spoke. "What's going on up there?"

"Right, right..." He said. "That feline is holding the princess as a hostage, and she's threatening to kill her if any of the docked ships among the other islands take off. She's holding the entire Empire by its throat because of this."

"Shoot..." Carol said. "Is there any way we can get up there?"

"The main elevator has been completely trashed." The hedgehog replied. "The only other way up there is causing the weird metal stuff to overreact and rip chunks of the city up into the air to get up there. She's got all the anti-air weapon systems online on that giganting thing and she's not going to hesitate unloading them on any of the ships if they move!"

Tails nods. "How do we shift the entire thing and get that ferrofluid flowing?"

"There's a generator to the far west of the city." Gerem spoke. "You can get the generator to override from there, but there's no telling what's going to happen to the Empire's stability if you do that!"

"It's a risk we have to take." Tails said, readying his blaster. "I'll override the generator, and once that's done, you guys go on ahead and head up after Corazon."

"Miles..." Carol spoke, deep concern and seriousness in her voice. "What about you?"

"I'll catch up later. Right now our focus is getting up to Corazon... or at least, for you and Sash to." Tails spoke. "Once the ferrofluid starts making the debris float, get up there immediately."

"Miles..."

"Carol." The kitsune said, gripping the wildcat's hand. "I'll be okay... I promise." The wildcat was silent for a moment befor she finally spoke.

"...don't go breaking it Miles..." She spoke, embracing Tails tightly into a kiss, locking her tongue with his. The kitsune lightly exhaled, embracing in the sweet taste of his lover's mouth before pulling away. "I promise." He said, lightly rubbing the wildcat's cheek before he took off towards another part of the city.

"We won't have much time once the generator is set off." Gerem spoke. "The instant it goes off nearly the entire city will be shredded by the liquid!"

"Then... where do we go?" Carol asked, concerned.

"We just need to take cover for now." Gerem spoke. "Once the city is blown your group can go on and stop her."

Sonic and Sash both nodded. "Then let's go..." The dragon said before the group took off away from their location...

* * *

"That must be the generator right there..." The kitsune said to himself as he flew between the leaning skyscrapers before landing at a nearby small building at the edge of the gigantic island. Landing on his feet, he held his blaster close as he ran inside the building to the gigantic supercomputer at the back of the building. Swiftly typing, he started work on shutting it down, initiating the file dump and shutting down all security systems.

"Once this is done, the entire ferrofluid system in the island's veins are gonna catastrophically fail, blowing a good chunk of the city up into the sky... at least it should. If it doesn't, something else is gonna need to be done to get up there. Now, just need to shut down the extra components..." He spoke, continually typing... until his ears heard the sound of whirling miniguns. He tensed up before dodging out of the way as the bullets whizzed by his head and struck the computer infront of him. Tails tensed up and fired off his Fire Bombs from his blaster at the mech. The monkey immediately raised his shields as the Fire Bombs merely collided and exploded harmlessly.

"Should've expected you'd follow me..." Tails growled.

"O-of course y-you little rodent!" The monkey screeched. "Y-your little renegade group is n-nothing more b-but a l-little wrench i-in my boss's p-plans! I-I'd like n-nothing more than to w-wipe your little group's blood i-into the d-dirt!"

"...I'm not gonna let that happen." Tails growled, switching the settings to double Chaser setting. "There's no way you're succeeding with your plan."

"H-heh, w-we'll see a-about that y-you weak l-little FOX!" AAA screeched loudly, the arms on his mech morphing to tesla cords with a electrical orb at the front of them, started blasting electrical orbs at the kitsune. Tails had dodged to the side of the sparks before shooting off the homing stars from his blaster, the small green one winding around the sparked balls and striking the mech itself, starting to create dents into the mech's armor. AAA's eyes widened as the stars collided with the armor before his eyes turned back to Tails, eyes burning anger as he soon fired off a massive charged electrical laser straight at Tails. The kitsune's eyes widened as he barely dive-rolled out of the way, shooting off another barrage of the stars before the collided with the shield generator on the mech, shutting the energy shield down on it, causing AAA to flip out.

"Y-Y-YOU LITTLE RUNT!" AAA screeched, before the lasers on the side merged into large spiked mallets, the mech's armor changing color along with it. The monkey charged straight at the kitsune, swinging a mallet straight at him. Tails dodged out of the way at the last second, the hammer obliterating the wall entirely and starting to collapse the building around them. Tails barely dodged another hammer swing before switching his blaster to the combination of 'Fire' and 'Lightning', causing a plasma blade to erupt from his gun when he pulled the trigger, slicing off the mallet on the mech itself. AAA angrily smashed his fists on the console of his mech, the hammers morphing into giant sawblades, whirring up at full rev. "L-l-let's see how you l-like the W-W-WHIRLING SAW!" He yelled as he fired off both his saws at odd timing. Tails quickly dodged out of the way of the one saw...

...and straight into the other saw AAA had intentionally timed to hinder the kitsune. The sickening sound of cutting flesh and bone filled the room as Tails hit the floor... his tails landing in separate locations. The kitsune hit the ground hard, pain permeating his body from his severed tails as he struggled to get up...

"N-Not so mobile now w-without your l-l-little mutant g-growths are y-ya?" AAA taunted. "T-Time to give you a-a-a finisher! S-say y-y-your prayers y-you little meat s-sack!"

Tails shuddered, weakly trying to get to his feet as the monkey had his mech's saw components switch over to the gatling guns again, trained on the tailless kitsune. The guns whirred up...

...and Tails quickly turned and lunged at the mech itself. Due to the mech's close proximity, AAA had no time to dodge as the kitsune had lunged... and merely gripped on the front of the mech itself, his upper body clung over the mech itself, being nearly face-to-face with the monkey itself.

"H-HA! You c-c-came up short!" The monkey taunted. Tails was silent for a second... before a sadistic smile had crept onto his face as he looked up at the monkey.

"That wasn't what I was aiming for." He said dryly, before lifting his right hand... revealing that he had switched the dial on AAA's weapon systems to the last option:

 _=NOVA BREAKER_

The greasemonkey's eyes widened as he looked in horror at what the kitsune did. "Y-Y-YOU IDIOT!" He yelled, knocking Tails off the mech and ejecting from the mech, crashing through the ceiling before a built-in jetpack activated, flying him away from the building. The mech itself retracted its components into its body and hit the floor, just a dull orb resting on the floor, starting to flash. Tails got to his feet and grabbed his severed tails, stumbling out of the building before the entire thing detonated, rocking the entire island itself and throwing Tails away from the building and under a building as the ferrofluid started seeping up through several fissures in the island, nearly tearing the island apart...

* * *

The group halted in their tracks as the massive explosion that rocked the island threw them off their balance as Carol looked of in the direction Tails went, seeing the massive explosion cloud that came from the central blast. Her heart sank before Sash had grabbed her arm and ducked behind a barrier with the others.

"Miles..." Carol breathed as she looked back at the explosion at the other end of the island, her eyes starting to water.

"Carol, just hold on..." Sash spoke, holding her friend tightly as the shockwave overtook their shelter...

* * *

 ** _TO BE CONTINUED..._**

 ** _Chapter 15: Scarred Skies Act 4: Hell has Risen..._**


	16. Chapter 15: Scarred Skies Act 4

**_..._**

 ** _Sonic and Sash: Tides of Chaos 2  
Bad Bloodlines  
Act 3_**

 _Chapter 15: Scarred Skies Act 4: Hell has Risen_

* * *

"Nnnnnghhh..." Tails moaned in main as he sat up, holding his head. "Wasn't expecting that violent of a reaction..." His vision started clearing as he soon looked at the hellish landscape that was once the city around him. "Oh god... I wasn't thinking it'd end up this bad... the others..." He said, before he tried to run... and almost immediately tripped up on himself and fell facefirst on the ground.

"Ooooww..." The kitsune moaned. "R-right, my tails..." He winced as he got back up and took off his flight jacket, wrapping it around the bloody stump that was the base of his tails. "G-gotta find the others..." He said as he took off into the city... and as he enter the city proper, the sight become surreal. The city has twisted itself. The central tower had reshaped itself, now floating in the middle of what seemed to be a red and black storm of energy, looking like a giant portal or egg. The skyscrapers and streets had rehaped and twisted themselves into a series of pathways, all leading to the central tower, looking like a series of cages.

The "skies" were a great aurora of red and black. All around him, giant streams of black metal and floating buildings floated past the tailless kitsune.

As he stepped on the path within, the buildings before him shifted, forming a set of gold-colored stairs. A rubbled statue of a dragon overlooked the crystal path leading ahead, a great archway leading the way ahead.

Tails was silent. "So... this was what Sonic went through when he had to go through here back during his trip he had to do in here... He shuddered. "Dear god... this looks like a nightmare..."

As the kitsune ran through the archway, the black metal and buildings shift themselves. Skyscrapers and buildings reshaped themselves, the tailless fox entering what was a hotel lobby turned upside-down, with a warehouse clearly mixed into it. The floor itself was now crystal and instead of potted plants or lanterns, the inside of the mixed room was filled with rubbled dragon statues. It looked like a strange, demented church dedicated to Corazon's ideals, the floor somehow even, the windows on the floor forming glass artwork depicting past battles of the dragons themselves... even more disturbing of the five's battles against their foes through their lifetime...

Tails halted in his tracks. "My god..." He shuddered as he looked onwards at the sight before him. "Please for the love of god tell me my friends survived this horror..." He froze, his ears twitching, hearing something nearby...

Before him, black ferrofluid floated from the cracks in the walls before being infused with red liquid and before him, the black goo formed the shape of Badniks; familiar faces such as Motobugs, Buzzbombers, even some Avalician tech. The Badniks are... different. They don't seem to exude the same feeling of energy as before and their eyes are a solid, pupil-less white.

Tails growled, switching his blaster to the Fire and Lightning settings again. "So... you must be Corazon's welcoming committee..."

The first Motobug charged forward straight at Tails, the kitsune quickly swinging his plasma blade horizontally and cleaving the bot in two... but instead of something like a small animal or a Shadee popping out as well as wrecked circuitry, but... nothing. It was nothing more than a black mass as the two parts hit the ground, melting back into the floor entirely. The kitsune was... unnerved as he saw this before more of the clone Badniks rushed him, causing the kitsune to react and start slicing more of the bots to shreds until the last of them were scrapped.

"I... don't like the implications of this..." He spoke to himself, resheathing his blaster as the black liquid sunk back into the floor. "If that metal can replicate the forms and attack patterns of Badniks and Avalician tech... then I'm afraid to know what will come next..." He said, seeing more black metal form into a giant door on the wall ahead of him and open up into the next part of the city. Beyond are large walkways, made from the outer walls of various buildings all squished and merged together, all coated in red crystals...

"Is she... is she creating a path to her?" Tails questioned himself before he shook his head. "No time to question it. I'll figure this out and find the others..." He said, taking off across the walkways...

* * *

"Nnnnnngh..." Carol moaned, sitting up from her position, holding her head in pain as her vision started clearly. "Oooowww... g-guys? You alright?"

"Mmmmmhh..." Sash moaned, leaning against a wall. "Y-yeah..." She spoke. "Just kinda got thrown for a loop. I-I'll be fine."

"S-same..." Sonic said, weakly standing up, hoisting Milla onto his back.

"What about you Ruff Stuff? Y-you still good?" Carol asked.

"F-fine..." The basset spoke.

"I wasn't expecting the chaos to be this bad..." Gerem spoke as he looked out onto the destroyed city. "This... this is hell on Mobius..."

"...we need to get moving." Carol spoke. "That spire is the last location we need to go. And judging from all the buildings now thrown into the air? We have a path."

Sash nodded before looking over to the green hedgehog. "Gerem, you get moving and get off the island for safety. There's no telling what's going to happen if you end up dying now."

The hedgehog nodded. "Understood. Be cautious on your travels, my friends!" He said before taking off, leaving the group to themselves.

Sonic nodded. "Let's head for that spire."

Carol merely nodded, looking back over at where the blast came from. "Miles..."

"Carol! Come on!" Sonic yelled as the group was taking off to the spire.

"R-right..." Carol said, taking off after the group. She would notice a couple of skyscrapers flying by alongside with great spires, the path forming shapes and strange spirals, the storm of red and black simultaneously violent and yet calm, constant noises of something flowing and wind screaming through the cradle of the island. "This... this used to be the dragon's legacy... and now it's been twisted into a monument to their demise..." As the group go through the archway ahead, they enter what was probably a mix of a library and an electronic store merged together. Statues overlooked great supercomputers, books covering large shelves on the floor... and walls. And ceilings. A balcony on the wall, now the ceiling due to orientation, formed a great glass carving showing the Sky Empire, reshaped into the destroyed version it is now, its speedway network now a series of roots digging through Mobius and Avalice...

Sonic clenched his fists. "I'm not liking what I'm seeing."

"Neither am I." Sash spoke,starting to walk forward again. "Let's keep moving. The longer we wait here the more likely we're to be ambushed by Corazon's machines."

"Agreed." Carol spoke, looking ahead. "It looks like that's the exit over there."

The group looked over to the gigantic door at the other end of the room itself, Sonic already starting to walk over to it. However, it wasn't long before the entire door morphed and disintergrated and melted into the floor... as well as the entrance into the room. Sash stood her ground, her tendrils whipping violently as the group got into combat positions, the air in the room charged with tension... but nothing was appearing.

"...nothing?" Carol asked, before seeing a drip hit the ground. The entire group looked up to see a gigantic carving of Avalice above them on the ceiling, then turning black, and obviously slimy...

Then the entire carving of black ferrofluid dropped to the floor entirely... forming and molding itself into a gigantic familiar mantis-shaped mech, which roared.

"Th-that fluid can mimic other stuff?!" Milla cried. "Oh my god..."

"Looks like we've got our hands full with this guys!" Sonic said, setting the basset down along the side of the room. "Time to rock and rumble!"

Sash tensed up, curling in before rocketing ahead in a Dragon Boost straight at the mech itself hoping to tempt a reaction. Almost expectantly, the mech activated its thrusters in an attempt to try and catch the dragon up in the blaze. However, she saw this coming and soon rocketed skywards with the angle of her Dragon Boost, colliding head on with the jaw of the mech. It roared in pain before taking a slash at Sash, hoping to cleave her in two, however Sash parried the attack with a Cyclone, lightly keeping her altitude before dropping back to the floor and backflipping out of the way before the blades wedged into the ground. Carol tensed up as she saw her friend fighting, soon unsheathing her katana and backflipping out of the way of an energy blast that stuck the ground where she just stood. Without even so much as a second thought, the wildcat whipped around and threw several of the small stars straight into the mech's eyes. It roared in pain before its chest cavity opened, showing a missile array... but also exposing its core.

"Guys, it's open!" Carol yelled. "Hit it!" Sonic nodded before charging up a Spindash and shooting forward, slamming into the back of the Mantalith and skidding around before launching straight into the chest, hitting the exposed core. The titanic mech roared in pain as it knocked Sonic back before charging him, however the hedgehog reacted quickly and dodged out of the way as the mech soon collided with the wall, roaring in pain. Carol reacted quickly and slashed at the one arm, severing the one gigantic blade arm as it collapsed into black goo and seeped into the floor. The Mantalith roared as soon it whacked the wildcat away, the feline hitting the wall hard. "Aaaahhnnn..."

"Carol, stay back!" Sash yelled, firing another Dragon Boost at the mech and getting its attention. The Mantalith roared and slashed at the dragon, however she countered with a slide underneath the mech and struck a slamming kick straight to its underside. The mech dropped down and seemed to crush her... only for the dragon to boost through the guts of the mech itself, the titanic beast melting into a massive pile of black metal and back into the floor...

Sash collapsed to her knees, panting as Sonic and the others rushed up to her. "Sash, you okay sis?" Carol asked.

"Y-yeah... just expended a bit too much energy from my chargers... there any more crystals in your pouch?" Sash panted.

Carol checked her back pocket... only for her face to fall. "Shoot..." She said, pulling out two crystal shards. "We're low..."

"J-just put them in." Sash spoke. Carol nodded and placed the crystals into the sides of the chargers.

"Don't push yourself too much girl." Carol said as the chargers started shining again, the blue energy flowing through her as she got up.

"I won't." Sash spoke. "You guys okay?"

"About as fine as I could be." Milla spoke. "We should keep moving. The longer we wait the more likely Corazon is going to have something ambush us."

"Agreed." Sonic spoke as the black metal reformed the doors in the room... only for a familiar figure to burst through the doors, clenching his blaster tightly, freezing when he saw the others.

"T-TAILSY!" Carol squealed, tackling the kitsune into tight hug. "Oh thank god... thank god..."

The kitsune returned the hug, tears streaming a bit. "I'm happy you guys are a-alive as well..." He said, getting up.

"Tails... what happened out there?" Sonic asked, a small concerned look on his face as he noticed his flight jacket wrapped around his pelvic area and the lack of his familiar furry tails.

"AAA, that's what." Tails said. "He ambushed me when I was shutting off the generator, then his mech detonated and caused... all this." He looked to Sash. "This ferrofluid... Corazon must be using the Bakunawa to set up this entire insanity altogether."

Sash nodded. "It would make sense. She wants us dead, so she would throw everything at us possible."

"Then she's starting to lose her cool." Sonic said. "She's bound to make mistakes now since she's frazzled."

"Agreed." Milla spoke. "Let's go then." The group nodded before they took off for the citadel...

* * *

The path ahead is a twisting pathway made of the streets of the Sky Empire city all forcefully merged into a crystallized spiral leading to the Citadel... now a circular red and black mass, pulsating like an egg. The way the streams of black metal and red energy converge toward it...

"An egg..." Sash breathed. "An egg of the Bakunawa's power, incubating to be hatched... Corazon is so close... we can't allow her..." She activated her audio player and it started playing the final audio track in it...

 _"Audio log, Kim Lilac."_

 _"This is the final entry for this audio log. Our attempts at mixing dragon and the native cultures has failed. There's... too many differences, too many moral points where we don't agree. Sure, they owe us everything and they worship an image of my ancestors... but they don't understand, or respect, us. I've done all I can and I know that in my lifetime, it won't be done. But... there's a silver lining to it all."_

 _"Bail Tea. I hate her guts. She hate me. We've been rivals the moment I stepped on this world and yet... now, our bloodlines are linked. I guess what they say about love and hatred being close to one another is true after all. We hate one another and yet... she understands me. She gets why dragons act the way they do. And I understand her concept of honor."_

 _"She changed. I changed too. She lost her sexism and her passiveness. The way she now acts! If her past self saw herself now, she would be horrified! I think that all of those adventures also changed me."_

 _"But... while I'm still young, I know I won't be around forever. I've got a lot of enemies now, powerful ones. And more and more, the new royalty of the Kingdoms is seeing me as a relic of the past. My time is quickly coming to a close and I'll retire... officially."_

 _"In practice... Bail and her family have founded a small village with many of my old friends and allies. They're unhappy with the royalty and while they hate me, they want a new path, like I do. I spoke with Dr. Ucano and all of my old allies and they all agree, too. We won't be able to watch over the world much longer and maybe we shouldn't."_

 _"Ucano is getting old and many of my allies are tired of the constant political maneuvers, sleepless nights planning, and the fighting. Many of us died in the wars. And we struggle against a rising nobility that has all of the bad points of the old kings while being immune to our manipulations. So... we decided that it is time. Ucano is working on what will likely be his final project. He's been forced to make weapons for so long... it's a joy to finally see him do what he wants to do, what he's meant to do. A new type of tool. A hybrid between a vehicle, a cutting tool, a climbing tool... pretty much everything actually. He call it a 'Mech-Blade'. Not just that but it will be his legacy, as well as mine ; it is carefully designed, so that future generations will be able to replicate it even after he is long gone, with no parts of it being too complex for a lesser scientist and engineer. An elegant and simple but effective tool, a gift."_

 _"I've spoken to my lovers and all my friends. I've decided that I'll also do my part. I'm going to take the audio logs of my diary and order them in a way for people to listen to. Then, I'll spread them accross the world. Sure, the kings and their cronies will probably find and destroy many of them, as part of that really stupid edict on how my people's legacy should be erased and future dragons should be officially only half-blooded descendants of divine beings... but they won't be able to find them all. Likewise, Bail's new village will be entrusted with as much of our technology as possible. Many of Ucano's friends have also created databases and begun hiding them. The Pangu project by Ucano's best friend is especially promising and should last for at least eight hundred years without maintenance."_

 _"If you are listening to this... then it means my attempts at ensuring our legacy would survive has succeeded."_

 _"Whoever you are, I hope you understand. I was not a bigot. I wanted dragons and Avalicians to live together. Not merged into hybrids or forever apart as foes. But as friends, walking together, learning from one another."_

 _"It is my hope that the Tea bloodline will use our gifts to protect this world from madness and to help guide it toward a new future. And maybe, just maybe, in the distant future, our bloodlines' paths will cross again."_

 _"... alright, I think I'm done. You know, I'm going to miss going on those big epic speeches! Feels... kinda silly. But then, what am I gonna say? Anyway, I hope the world you're in is a good one."_

 _"Oh and..."_

* * *

Corazon's posture tightened. "So... they are getting closer..."

* * *

 _"If you ever manage to re-establish contact with Mobius..."_

* * *

Her pupils became slits. "Very well then."

* * *

 _"...and if any of us survived over there..."_

* * *

"If they want a fight..." She growled, metal footsteps heard behind her from where she stood.

* * *

 _"...please tell them that in the end..."_

* * *

"Then they are going to get one..." She snapped her fingers and the metallic figure behind her disappeared before she briskly walked to the docked Bakunawa cabin, inputting something into the controls...

* * *

 _"...we actually did find a home in the stars."_

 _"End audio log. Farewell."_ The log ended as the group came upon the gigantic shaft that would have led up to the top of the citadel. The elevator was broken, just a destroyed platform in the center of the room. The group moved slowly as they approached inside the shaft itself.

"So... how are we getting up there?" Tails asked. "I don't know about you guys but... I kinda can't fly at the current moment."

"He's got a point..." Sonic spoke. "We can-"

"Shhh." Sash motioned, silencing the group. Her tendrils tingled a bit, she could feel something... or someone... was nearby. It wasn't before long that she forced everyone out of the way as a green blur whizzed by. The green, spinning blur ricochet off the wall before landing before her, revealing itself to be Corazon, wearing the same skimpy signature Tea outfit as she had on earlier. Sash glared straight at her as the wildcat returned the glare, no words were exchanged. Then, without warning, the two dashed at eachother, Sash throwing a chop only for Corazon to intercept it perfectly and try to claw at the dragon with her free hand. Sash saw this coming and intercepted it with her tendril, then spun to try and kick her in the chest, only for her to effortlessly block it with her own elbow before the two met in a flurry of kicks in equal power to eachother before they both flipped backwards a few feet from eachother; the entire exchange lasting all of about two seconds. Sash breathed heavily and angrily ; if she was a fire dragon, steam would blow from her nostrils as she give the feline a murderous glare, Corazon returning it, the only think moving was her tail whipping angrily.

Corazon acted first, curling up... and against all odds, began charging a SPINDASH. Sash was caught off guard at first, but then immediately curled into a Dragon Boost and rocketed forward at eachother. They knock into one another... for a moment, the struggle is quite even until Sash breaks through. She slaps Corazon violently, drawing blood before following by a kick straight into the chest, knocking the air out of Corazon's lungs. As Corazon hunch over, Sash grab her by the back of the head and slams her violently into her knee, sending her railing. Corazon backflips out of the way, barely avoiding Sash's follow-up uppercut; she spits blood into the floor, giving the dragon an evil glare, Sash looking completely emotionless except for the murderous rage in her eyes.

"So... you have improved." Corazon spoke, her voice sounding much more monotone than normal.

Sash merely shook her head. "No. I merely stopped holding back." She spoke before the two charged at eachother again, meeting in a flurry of attacks before rebounding.

"I am going to kill you. You know that, don't you?" Sash growled, her fists tightening.

"I have an edge. You are going to love it." Corazon spoke, a confident smirk on her face.

"Drop DEAD!" Sash yelled before she Dragon Boost and cancelled it mid-boost into a vicious double tendril-slash... to end up going straight through Corazon's fur abd outfit, showing metallic workings.

"Wh-what?!" Nearly everyone said in shock as their jaws dropped from the sight of the exposed robotics on Corazon.

The wildcat merely smirked. "... fascinating. So you finally managed to knock off my disguise. No matter..." The green cat and clothes are shredded, revealing what appears to be a grotesque mix of Mecha Sonic, Mecha Tails, and a theorical Mecha Sash, Mecha Carol, and Mecha Milla, but with a good chunk of its robotics looking like a familiar Gizoid...

"My combat abilities surpass yours." The robot spoke, before preforming a Wild Kick and knocking Sash away, causing the dragon to recoil in pain before she followed up with an uppercut straight to Sash's jaw, knocking her upwards.

"SASH!" Sonic yelled, about to make a move before a force field shoots up in front of the other four.

"This is my fight with the lizard alone." The OmniGizoid spoke, before grabbing Sash by the face and slamming her into the ground, a sickening crack being heard. Sash struggled to get up, one of her eyes clamped shut and blood flowing from her nostrils as she rightened herself, her sturdy frame slightly shaking. She dashed at the bot as it unleashed a Super Shield Burst... only for it to miss; Sash was spoofing it, only to punish it by slicing into its chest harshly with her tendrils. The robot is shocked by Sash's ludicrous attack speed and actually flinch back, momentarily vulnerable... though its armor hold, and soon manages to recover from Sash's attacks and counter by unleashing a mix of Sash's own Cyclone and Tails's tail spin. Sash backflips out of the way, pulling out the green Emerald she had ahold in her possession, before curling into a ball. The Gizoid saw this and prepared to block, only for Sash to rocket forward faster than anyone expected, shredding through its central torso as if it was paper.

"...i-impressive." The Gizoid spoke before it collapsed entirely, melting into the ferrofluid and seeps into the floor. Sash smirked before time caught up to her, causing her to grip the side of her head in pain and collapse to the floor, the force field coming down and the rest of the group rushing over to her.

"Hang in there Sash..." Sonic spoke, getting a couple Life Petals out of the bag. Sash weakly nodded before putting the petals into her mouth, the healing powers flowing through her veins as she got back to her feet.

"Is everyone alright?" Sash asked, looking back on the group. The others nodded as Sash soon turned back ahead. "Then we need to go. We don't have much time..." She spoke before the group took off up the tower...

* * *

Corazon was utterly silent. She watched the video log again. And again... and again. She watched the tiny details and she thought frantically. Her face was devoid of emotion and with no one to speak to, she did not waste her breath voicing her thoughts aloud. Not even her tail moved, despite frustration and worry making her body want to move her tail independently of her desires. But she had better control than this.

Cold, hard, harsh truth. She had underestimated her foes. She had underestimated them from the very beginning. She thought she hadn't, that she had used more than enough force and subterfuges... but she now knew she had been wrong.

She had allowed emotion, arrogance to dictate her actions. No more. She sprung up to her feet. Her control was perfect, her body so perfectly controlled that one could not even notice the movement from her breathing. With exquisite precision and grace, she grabbed the handle of the mech blade nearby and held it in front of her with both hands. Despite its weight, her stance was perfect, her hands and gaze still and unwavering.

She gave them enough chances to back out. Enough chances to know when they were beaten. She had burnt her superiority into the dragon and the hedgehog, foolishly thinking that they would back out. She should have known. Souls such as these never gave up, ever. She had allowed herself to be foolish.

No more. The cool big sis act is over.

She sheathed the mech blade on her person in one smooth motion. She have spoken too much. Hesitated too much.

No more minions. No more machines. She will grasp fate with both hands.

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

 ** _Chapter 16: Scarred Skies Act 5: The Point of No Return..._**


	17. Chapter 16: Scarred Skies Act 5

_**...**_

 _ **Sonic and Sash: Tides of Chaos 2  
Bad Bloodlines  
Act 3  
**_

 _Chapter 16: Scarred Skies Act 5: The Point of No Return..._

* * *

"...keep moving." Sash spoke as the group started their ascent up the citadel tower. "We're closing in on our target."

"...Sash." Carol spoke, grabbing the dragon's shoulder. "Can I speak with you quickly? Just us? I... need to get something off my chest."

"...alright." Sash said, looking to the others. "Sonic, keep moving. I'll catch up."

Sonic nodded, holding onto the basset on his back. "C'mon Tails." He said before the group continued.

"What's wrong Carol?" Sash had asked, crossing her arms. It was a while since Carol ever spoke personally to her about her problems, the last time being Jade Creek from over nearly four years ago, which... didn't end well. She wasn't about to have a repeat of an argument that nearly tore her friendship apart with Carol, so she remained silent as she looked at Carol.

"Look... I know you care about me a lot." Carol said. "But... this fight is mine to fight alone against my sister. Everyone else is too weakened or hurt to even fight her right now, and given the fact she won't even be holding anything back in her own power... she'll kill any of you... and I don't want that."

"Carol, I-"

"Sash, please." Carol interrupted. "I know you want to say no. I know you want to so bad... but I can't let you say that. I need you to understand Sash... that Corazon is something I need to take care of alone."

"Carol..." was all that came out of the dragon's mouth before she was met in a tight hug by her feline friend. "Please... Sash, it's all I ask." Carol said. "I'll take care of Corazon... I need you to save your ancestor. Without her... you won't exist. And I won't have the one who stuck with me... who TRULY stuck with me as a sister ever since the Scarves..."

Sash was silent before she gripped Carol in a returned hug, a small amount of tears coming from her eyes. "Y-you big doof..." She said through her tears. "J-just promise me something, okay?"

"Yeah Sash?"

"Promise me you'll come back from this alive..." Sash whispered into her ear.

Carol looked at Sash straight in the eyes. "I promise..."

Sash lightly smiled. "Alright. You do what you need to do. Sonic and the rest of us will take the more front-loaded entrance while you get up there another way."

Carol nodded. "With all the floating scrap now orbiting the citadel, I should be able to make a path no problem..."

"Then we'll see you at the top." Sash spoke before Dragon Boosting away and after the rest of the group. Carol took a deep breath and closed her eyes, her breathing steadying as her pupils shrunk to slits, her fists clenching tightly as she looked out the gaping hole in the side of the tower.

"...I'm sorry Sash. I don't know if I can uphold that..." She spoke, unsheathing her claws. "...but I know I will hold nothing back. Miles has taught me the value of living life to its max. To not have regrets. Whatever happens between myself and Corazon... will happen."

The weird black ferrofluid floats around, what seems to be a ruined side of the tower floating before her. The skyscrapers, far below, don't seem so beautiful anymore, reaching to the skies like gigantic spikes, waiting for flesh to impale itself upon them. The black metal pulsate ominously with each electric surge, like a beating heart...

"...the Bakunawa must already be synced up with the ferrofluid. It won't be long before she pulls a catastrophe..." Carol muttered to herself, looking upward, to the path of twisted, warped metal barely held up by the strange liquid. "...first time for everything I suppose." She spoke uncertainly, starting to climb the winding, twisting path leading higher...

 _ **SCHLRAAAAAAAANG!**_

Carol's fur stood on end from being startled as the elevator break off and plummet at an incredible speed toward the ground level, kilometers below. She sweatdrops. "...no going back now." The wildcat looks up to see the way the platforms twist and turn, pushed by the invisible force crafted by the weird, pulsating black metal, almost feeling the 'beating' of the black metal's pulse... she feels a shiver from how creepy it feels but jumps forward, to the next platform. As she moves up the twisting path, the black metal pulsates more and more strongly, the platforms shifting up and down before her, as if to evade her steps and make her fall. The city below suddenly seemed a lot closer, the cars almost like a flower river, the skyscrapers shining like needles awaiting the fabric meant to pierce...

The platforms twist, warp, change shape as the metal pulsate... and before her, the wall tear itself open, leaving only the support beam, the torn wall becoming a floor. Carol uneasily stepped onto the floor and nearly lost her balance as the platform suddenly rocketed upwards before sharply stopping, nearly launching the poor wildcat off the citadel itself. She sson regained her bearings as she started climbing up the rubbled path again... only to be thrown off her feet as the metal screams, the entire floor warping and twisting, folding with a deafening, unnatural noise to bar her path. She gave a disgruntled sigh before she noticed an opening forming back on the side. She pant, her heart pounding, the black metal pulsating so powerfully she thinks she can hear the metal beating like a heart...

The wildcat is surprised as the outter walls tear themselves to entrap her outside only for the black metal to warp another path back inside, the slope harsh on the way up. "Hmmm... it's like she expects me..." She muttered, continuing her climb. The walls are damaged, rusty, brittle, the metal older and obviously having not been maintained in a long time as she climbs higher toward the top of the citadel...

The metal screams, twisting; rusty and damaged, parts of it flake off before the stress becomes too much for it. Carol sees it shatter before her, exposing the upper end of the elevator shaft. "What the... what in the world..." She muttered to herself. Black metal pulsate, water suspended in mid-air, forming a lake of sorts. Rusty metal bits spin as if caught into an eternal, sourceless tornado, leading into the aerial lake. The bits of scrap... they look vaguely spiky, almost like pieces of Eggman Badniks. Yet, they all seems to be rusty completely, with only one piece of metal alright... chargers, which is the source of the rust judging by the way the rust spread over the dead machines. Carol merely shook her head as she starts jumping and climbing from dead machine to machine, shuddering as the rusty metal is so degraded it feels almost... like rotten meat. She soon leap off the rusted Badniks despite her disgust, jumping into the somehow floating lake, she holds her breath as she swims up and yet, her movements feel sluggish, like this water is much thicker as the rusted shards floating in there brush past her, causing her to shudder from the disgusting feel. Carol emerges from the lake to see a rusty, barely functional door at the end of the ruined elevator shaft.

Carol gritted her teeth, her pupils becoming slits as she forced the door open, the entire thing collapsing and falling inwards. The room inside was surprisingly intact, with little rust anywhere, however, standing front and center in the middle of the room was none other than Corazon herself, the mech-blade held steady as she glared down something away from the wildcat. It was only for a split second, but she could have sworn she saw someone similar to Sash Dragon Boosting through the floor right as the sociopathic feline had taken a swing at it...

"Corazon..." Carol growled, starting down her sister as she unsheathed her gifted katana...

"Silence." snapped the older green feline. She looked through the cracks in the floor briefly. Then, with one hand, she unholstered her pistol and aimed through the cracks and fired. To her displeasure, the floor was more dense than she thought and her shot didn't overpenetrate as she thought it would. Feeling frustrated, she put her gun back in its holster and picked the mech blade's grip with both hands.

She paused, freezing for a second. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked, her body motionless, her gaze suddenly boring upon the younger feline.

Carol's posture rightened, rolling her shoulders a bit as she never took her eyes off the older wildcat. "What does it look like I'm doing? Stopping history from being wiped altogether, that's what." She spoke, her tone... surprisingly cold and devoid of emotion.

Corazon stared at her sister. There was no body language, her frame as a statue. She simply held into her mech blade, returning the glare of her sister. There was something stirring inside her when she heard her sister speak...

"You are deluded." she said. "You never had the heart for this. The dragon whore made you her slave. She dulled your wits, tamed your instincts, declawed your body and mind. You've done nothing but be a good little obedient sidekick. And now, you stand before me, with a metal toothpick, and you think you're going to stop me from performing our birthright as a Tea?"

There was a slight pause. "This tone does not fit you, Carol. You know you are a failure. You know you are weak. You know you stood in the shadow of Lilac, and now Sonic and Miles, your entire life. You will never emerge from that shadow. Now stand aside and let those who actually have the strength to control fate do as they must."

Carol did not move. "I beg to differ." She spoke. "I am not a sidekick to Sash. Nor have I ever been one. Sash was the only one I could call family after Coral died; because you walked out on me, blinded by your own anger and hatred of a single species that you think singlehandedly ruined your life."

Corazon actually reacted. She lost her eternally cold mask for a moment. Her frown and stare became strange, manic. Almost as if her eyes didn't match. The disbelief and shock at hearing her sister making such an assessment caused her to actually stare at her, really stare at her. And her expression as she did so... it wasn't anything anyone sane would have. And then...

Corazon smirked widely, way too widely. She begun to snicker... and then to giggle...

"Heeheehee... hehehehe! Hahahaha! Hahaha! HA HA HA HA!" a giggle that broke into laughter... and then, into maniacal, insane-sounding cackling. She just stood there, her eyes widened and her pupils as dots, cackling as if she had heard the most funniest, most absurd thing in the world.

... and as suddenly as this had occurred, her face was back to being a cold, lifeless mask, her tone devoid of life. "Hatred? Our world is chained, enslaved by the legacy of a long dead people. It almost destroyed it. Where do you think Merga come from?" She squeezed the grip of the mech blade. "We have fought and died so that someday, our two people might become one. This is what the dragons bear for us, sister. This is where they lead. They sow sorrow and reap death."

She tilted her head slowly. "Do not lie. I learnt of it. Of the lizard's madness, how she manipulated and lied. Of how you came to the Scarves, despairing, after she ditched you for her delusions for grandeur back during the Brevon Crisis. And you would give your life... for beings like these?"

She smirked again insanely. No laugh, this time. "You know... I was a fool. Because of my love for my family, I refrained from eliminating you. I should have known you were mad. That you'll never realize how they are holding back. Don't worry though... I won't make that mistake again."

Carol held firm. "I know of the logs Cordelia left behind. And I know of the logs of the very legacy that gifted our bloodline with that very blade you are holding right now." She spoke. "You are mad Corazon. How do I know that you will stop after you try to kill me? What's to say you won't go insane with your conception of power and kill the leaders of our worlds? Millions of innocents?"

And then she dropped a bombshell. "Your own _family_?"

Corazon's eyes narrowed. The barb caused her tail behind her to swing in a slow wagging motion once. She quickly regained her composure but it was obvious that she had not appreciated the low blow.

"This exchange is pointless, Carol. I was always stronger and better than you. Who do you think you are, Carol? Who do you think you are?!" Her eternal monotone actually broke, frustration and anger seeping in. "Do you think you can just start acting as if you were a Tea after spending years rejecting your own legacy because we're 'icky murderers'? Who do you think you are?! Coral?"

Her eyes narrow. "I bet you stand here only because your friends are threatened. You'll never fit our sister's shoes! She was strong! She stood above such concepts! And while I will never be as great as she was..." Her eyes narrow further. "... at least, I have the courage to do what must be done, coward." She actually hissed the last word.

Carol stood there silent, her muscles tightened. "I don't stand here because my friends are threatened." She spoke. "I stand here because my way of life I've lived has been threatened." Her ears pressed back against her head. "I know I may never fit my sister's shoes... but at least I had the initative to take action into my own hands rather than hide behind minions and thousands of robotic slaves. At least I took the initative to stop an insane alien warlord and a mad scientist from ruining our worlds. And yet what have you done compared to those two?"

Her remark bit. "Nothing. Nothing but spill the blood of hundreds of thousands of innocent lives just to enact a petty revenge. _I_ am not the coward here Corazon... not anymore. I'm done running away from my problems. I am done living my life with regrets."

Corazon stared at her, no longer hiding her emotions. Her fur was on end, her tail swinging slowly behind her as she listened to every barb, every accusation. If one's eyes could turn red from rage, hers would. But then, when Carol was done... Corazon was... amused? And then... she laughed. She resumed her laughter. And... it was just as disturbing as last time.

And when she stopped, she was back to her usual monotone. "Well played, sister. Well played..."

Then, Corazon suddenly move. She was as a blur, moving by the edges of the room. There was a deafening sound, like stone being rended apart, and flashed of light. And as the older feline landed back in the middle of room, the mech blade had deployed, now split in two, a gigantic blade made of energy shooting out of its core. All around them, the walls fell apart, revealing the storm outside...

"Then... your life will end. You should feel lucky, sis. This..." she pointed the mech blade at Carol. "... is our family's legacy. The final gift of a dying race, soon to be forgotten. A tool with which to control fate. It is the instrument of the future's will, one that wash away the past and all those who cling to it. With every bite from it, you shall feel the truth of your weakness and then, in death, know the inevitability of time's passage. You're lucky, Carol. Instead of having your neck sliced in your sleep, you'll get to die with honor, in battle."

"After all, you know a mere metal toothpick won't slow down the original mech blade."

Carol firmly nodded. "You act as if I do not know this." She spoke, her tone remaining firm, her grip on Coral's katana remaining firm. "I will not hold back. I will show you my true strength; a strength laid dormant inside my consciousness for so long."

"We are done speaking for now. Now make your move."

Corazon deactivated her mech blade, surprisingly... only to plunge it into the rim of her own clothes. Then, she did an outward motion, practically tearing off her coat and pilot pants leaving her in a pair of shorts and a tiny tank top that matched much more closely with what Carol, and previously Coral when she lived, wore. She threw away the useless, heavy, and now shredded pilot outfit away, the wind blowing it off the room, while holding to the mech blade with one hand. She then swung her goggles in front of her eyes, the targetting interface coming online and connecting with the mech blade's systems.

She reactivated the mech blade, this time holding it with only one hand, her eyes gleaming with murderous intent under her goggles.

She said nothing, observing the younger sister, the wind howling around them while the active mech blade's energy blade sent small arcs of lightning in-between them...

Carol tensed up, knowing that Corazon would more than likely have a shield generator equipped to her being. With a quick and fluid motion, she quickly unsheathed several shuriken before flinging them straight at the older wildcat, knowing fully well that the shuriken would probably disintergrate upon contact with the specific shield. Knowing that Corazon's attack would come immediately after she readied a dodge out of the way...

Corazon didn't even bother allowing Carol to test her theory. She parried the shurikens with the mech blade, slashing so fast it caused a metallic whip-like sound, slicing apart each of the projectiles. Once she destroyed them, the older cat immediately went on the offensive. She swung the mech blade a third time, the mechanisms shifting and reshaping while the single energy blade vanished, the bulky weapon now taking the shape of a hoverbike. Corazon had leaped as she unleashed the third slash, landing straight on the seat of the weapon turned vehicle, the grip of the blade now the handle bars of the machine.

But while she tore through the room toward Carol... at the last second, she did a sharp turn, trying to burn Carol's lower body with the blue exhaust energy plumes and turning the floor under her to glass with intense heat.

Carol tightened as Corazon came towards her. Knowing that she would more than likely try to swing the mech-blade upwards if she tried to dodge over the sociopath, she quickly dodge-rolled to the side and took a short throw of more shuriken at the wildcat, her katana at grip ready to counter any other kind of offensive attack...

It turn out that Carol's guess was right. But though the younger sister had seen through the bait, Corazon was not one of the deadliest Avalicians currently alive without reason. Carol dodging away, Corazon leaped off the mech blade, shapeshifting it back into a blade as she swung it in a horziontal arc, trying to drive Carol back against the edge of the arena. It was then that Carol's guess about the shields were confirmed ; Corazon ended her swing only for Carol's shurikens to bounce off her fire-elemental shield force field.

Corazon snarled in rage, swinging the mech blade and bringing it into a sideway stance. She changed her stance, her eyes gleaming murderously behind her goggles. She observed Carol, her tail swinging behind her. She said not a word...

Carol barely dodged, the blade just barely clipping the straps of her sports bra as she dodge-rolled away from the edge, knowing full and well her sister's intent of making her fall... the hard way. But Carol had taken notice of Corazon's current position. Quickly reacting, she flung one of her specialty shuriken; an explosive one, straight at the fused glass floor near the sister as she backflipped away...

Corazon had noticed this new shuriken had a different color and leaped into the air, away from the impact zone. She didn't flinch as the explosive shuriken sent a flurry of sharp glass everywhere ; she knew the chances of her being injured, thanks to her sheilds, was lesser than Carol. Why hadn't Carol come with charged shields? Sloppy.

Still, the damaged floor was just what she needed. With her free hand, she picked up a grenade. She didn't immediately activate and throw it, instead wanting Carol to see what was coming.

Quickly reacting, Carol pried up part of the metal floor and curled behind it as the glass hit the frame of it before she kicked it away, soon seeing the grenade in Corazon's hand. While she knew it was nearly pointless to try and hit Corazon with the shuriken she drew, she readied herself as she awaited Corazon to throw the grenade, not standing still to give her an easy target...

Corazon saw the cat doing her silly little routine and then... curled up? But then, Corazon demonstrated she knew how to perform the spindash technique. Due to her lack of training, Carol had only only been able to perform normal rolls but it seems that like Coral, the older feline knew the secrets of this technique.

Corazon suddenly shot off like a green blur, heading straight toward Carol. Thanks to her journey at Sonic's side, the feline would definitely know that it would be in her best interest to not let this move hit her.

Carol smirked. She took the bait! She knew Corazon would more than likely try for another vertical slice if she dodged over, so the wildcat quickly rolled to the side, leaving an explosive shuriken for where Corazon was headed...

Carol had however understimated the older sister. She uncurled near the end of roll, throwing her grenade in Carol's direction and leaping over the explosion harmlessly... and off the edge of the arena?

Carol reacted quickly, throwing a shuriken at the oncoming grenade and knocking it away from her for it to harmlessly explode elsewhere as she saw her sister dive off the edge of the arena.

 _'Nice try sis.'_ Carol thought as she kept on her toes. _'I know what you're trying to pull underneath my feet...'_ Her ears twitched, keeping constant movement so that Corazon wouldn't try to pull what she though she was going to. _'Bullets might not be able to pierce that floor, but that mech-blade will...'_

It was then that the entire floor collapsed. All of it. Weakened by the earlier explosions, it gave way. As the remains of the floor collapsed underneath, Corazon leaped back from outside, tearing off an entire part of the wall with the mech blade and sending it flying straight at Carol, hoping that the younger wouldn't be able to dodge due to falling from the higher floor.

Carol reacted quickly as the floor collapsed, leaping up and out of the way of the massive chunk of wall that was flung at her as she flung more of the specialty shurikens at Corazon's feet. With any luck she would catch her off guard and get rid of that shield...

Corazon didn't sit still or offer Carol an opportunity for a good target. In fact... in a way, Carol would notice that she was using a twisted, adapted version of Sonic's own combat strategy ; Corazon was fast, very fast. Not as fast as a dragon but her superior ninja training, agility, and the mech blade allowed her incredibly fast maneuvers. Meanwhile, no matter how strong Carol was, she could only throw shurikens so fast and they only flew so fast. To a feline equipped to dodge bullets, dodging the sub-sonic metal projectiles thrown by her sister was child play.

She, on another hand, had a weapon that was far more accurate and with a far faster projectile speed. As Corazon jumped and moved along the edge of the room, she drove her mech blade into it, slashing open the walls like she had done above. The roof of the citadel above them creaked dangerously as its support was quickly being destroyed... and while she did so, Corazon used her free hand to aim at Carol and shoot. Center of mass shots.

Carol took action at what Corazon was doing and reacted swiftly as she threw off more of her specialty shurikens all over the floor as she dodge-rolling out of the way of the shots... and off the building...

...onto some of the floating debris caught up by the surrounding ferrofluid. Knowing she couldn't sit for more than a second else Corazon would kill her she quickly threw a couple of explosive shuriken onto her platform and the surrounding ferrofluid as she lept off it, knowing that dispersing the ferrofluid would cause the anti-gravity properties to fail and for it to collapse, and swiftly leaped from platform to platform before crashing through the window of a lower floor...

As the previous arena largely blew up, Corazon emerged, standing by the edge of what little of it was left intact. She pointed her gun and fired a couple of shots but she was aware that Carol's agility, the screaming winds of the area, and the growing distance meant that her shots would predictably miss. So her younger sister isn't completely obsessive and can understand the value of a tactical retreat. The older feline's eyes narrowed. She'll have to ensure she don't get access to shields herself or meet up with her allies before she can find the lizard's ancestor.

Corazon watched for a moment more to see in what direction Carol is heading...

Carol didn't stay still for more than a second; if she wantd to have a chance at incapacitating her sister, she needed to keep moving. However, she knew she couldn't go too far else running the risk of Corazon killing Sash's ancestor. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a familiar crystal shape; she was in luck! Quickly she threw a couple of shuriken at it before it shattered entirely, the blue veil surrounding her body as she threw another set of explosive shuriken at the ceiling above her...

Corazon hissed internally, annoyed at Carol's maneuvering. What had started out as a straight up fight, which benefitted her, was now a game of cat and mouse. Well, Carol's predatory instincts are dulled by her unwillingness to kill and she always was better at this than anyone else. Fine. While it doesn't allow her to use her equipment as much, she can play it this way.

Corazon directed the mech blade at the floor under her and then, plunged deeper into the citadel. This first skirmish is done with. A charge for Carol's shields is an unpleasant surprise... but she can definitely fix this next time they meet up.

* * *

A loud rumble shook the citadel, nearly knocking the other four off their feet as the metal screamed and twisted. Sash tensed up, her tendrils twitching as her eyes darted around.

"The tower is near collapse." She spoke shortly. "We need to find her, else we run a risk of a timeline collapse."

"Sash..." Milla spoke. "What of Carol? Where has she gone?"

"..." Sash remained silent. "...she went to fight her sister. Alone."

"What?!" Tails said. "Sh-she's crazy! Corazon is going to kill her!"

"Miles please, listen to me." Sash spoke, her tone firm. "Carol spoke that this is something she needs to take care of herself, and I can understand. We would only slow her down if we tried to intervene." She sighed. "Besides, our mission is more crucial to preserving the Mobian-Avalician timeline; protecting my ancestor. If she dies, every part of our histories is eliminated."

"Sash, please, I-"

"Miles, please." Sash spoke, putting her hands on his shoulders. "I know its hard for you right now... but you need to be strong. Carol wouldn't want you to break down now and give up. We need to be strong... strong for her and strong for everyone else. We need to finish our end of the mission; securing the timeline and ensuring our worlds have a good future..."

"..."

"Tails, you gotta understand." Sonic said, setting a hand onto the kitsune's shoulder. "Carol wants us to go on for her. She wouldn't want to see you down like this..."

"..."

"Miles, you need to understand." Milla finally spoke. "This is something Carol needs to deal with by herself. Not because she wants us to be safe, but because we're unable to help her." She sighed, continuing. "This is something she needs to do on her own terms; for herself. It's her own family honor she needs to satisfy to cleanse herself." The basset looked down, a rather depressing look in her eyes. "I sense an inner turmoil inside her, one that has just been growing in volume the deeper and deeper we've gone into this adventure. I fell that if she doesn't vindicate and destroy it by doing what she's doing right now, it will only grow and rage more violently than any of us could possibly understand. She needs to do this..."

"...alright." Tails spoke, looking back up. "We'll do this for her."

Sonic smiled. "There's the buddy I know."

Sash nodded. "We must be close to my ancestor. I can sense her."

"Then let's find her." Tails said, taking off ahead of the group.

"Bro, wait!" Sonic yelled before the rest of the group gave pursuit. It wasn't long before the group had burst into another room, nearly rubbled from the collapse of the tower itself as the furious battle clashed above. It wasn't long before they saw the familiar dragon figure, trapped under a massive pile of rubble from the tower's ruined walls. Sash soon had wasted no time and Dragon Boosted through the rubble, freeing the other draconian figure.

"Princess, are you alright?" Tails asked, rushing to the dragon's side. The figure was shaking, barely able to stand as she shakily got to her knees.

"S-s-still a-alive..." She stuttered. "B-but barely..."

Tails looked to Sash. "Life Petals. How many do we have left?"

"We should still have a fair amount." Sash said, getting out the small satchel and pouring a small amount of petals into her hands. "She might need an extra dose to just push her up back into a survivable state."

"Let's worry about her living to begin with." Milla spoke, kneeling down to the other draconian figure. "She badly hurt. Get those petals on her, stat."

Sash nodded, looking to her ancestor. She nodded and opened her mouth before Sash placed the petals onto her tongue before she swallowed, a blue glow emanating off her body as her wounds slowly healed.

"Can you stand?" Sash asked, helping her ancestor to her feet.

"I-I think so." The other dragon spoke, getting up.

"Princess Sakura." Sonic asked. "Has everyone been evacuated from the city prior to the hostile takeover?"

"A-as best we could." She answered. "We still had casualties from the incident with that fake doctor nearly destroying us, and now this entire escapade... I can only hope our ships off Mobius were not damaged."

"They shouldn't be." Milla spoke. "Right now we need to get you to safety; we're risking jeopardizing your life the longer we keep you here."

"Understood." She answered, climbing onto Sash's back. "We must move. The Empire is collapsing faster than we could imagine..."

* * *

Carol's left ear twitched. She acted on instinct, her legs moving before she even perceived the threat in the corner of her eye. And as she did, she re-adjusted her trajectory, leaping forward instead of to the side as she had been going to. Heat came from behind her, the grenade collapsing the way in. Before her was a collection of what was left of the elevator to the top of the citadel, Corazon's eyes narrowed as she gripped her pistol one-handed, her other hand on the grip of the Mech-Blade, its shining blade crackling against the metallic floor.

Neither sisters spoke. They did not need to. The message was clear ; with the way out collapsed, neither would have the ability to escape easily. There would be no third encounter.

Carol knew that trying to appeal to any kind of morality as Sash or Sonic understood it would fail. Likewise, there was no way she'd be able to defeat her older sister as things were. Unlike her, she had completed her training and was wielding the original Mech-Blade. The odds of winning this encounter or even surviving it were pretty slim, if existent. She knew this. But she had went anyway. In Sash's current state, fighting Corazon would be a death sentence. And Milla, Sonic, Tails would be of no help, with their obvious injuries. She knew that Tails must be in a lot of pain right now, given what happened to him...

Truly, the situation looks impossible.

But then, so had it been when she faced Brevon at Sash's side. Sash might say that what won the day was their determination... but Carol's more pragmatic, less heroic-oriented mind knew the real reason.

They had won because they had poked at the inconsistencies in Brevon's motives and forced him to face his own hypocrisy. When Sash thrown his words back in his face and Carol demolished his assumption that they fought because of delusions of heroism, the galactic warlord had went berserk. If Brevon had kept his cool, if he had blocked out all of their words and used the same devastating strikes as he had the first time he and Sash clashed, they would have died there. But enraged by their words, Brevon charged wildly. In his blind rage, he made mistakes. And they exploited every single one of those mistakes to defeat him.

But how to reach her sister? They had been able to get through to Brevon because, frankly, he had been a warped version of her best friend. Like Sash, Brevon had been obsessing with saving those he held dear to the exclusion of anything else, including his own sanity. So in a way, reaching to him had been easy. Corazon was not like that. She was a trained exiled ninja and an insane one at that. She was dedicated fully to her cause.

It was then that the eureka moment came to her.

"Why are you so damn tense?" All of her usual playfulness and spunk was missing. Instead her voice was cold, harsh, accusing.

As Corazon came charging, Carol brought her own blade swinging. It was a feint of course, the older feline swinging the mechanical weapon toward the younger sister at an oblique angle. A feint that was predicted by the younger sister, who had actually swung the weapon in a lazy arc, instead rolling away. She interrupted her roll midway through, leaping out of it and barely avoiding being shot point-blank by her older sister. She kept going, her katana's swing deflecting the remaining rounds of Corazon's salvo.

Corazon's mouth twitched in a barely visible smirk as she somehow managed to eject her pistol's empty ammo magazine and loaded a fresh one one-handed. "Swearing like this doesn't suit you, sister."

"Goody blue-boots and miss I'm-so-disgustingly-cute bitch aren't around so I'll voice whatever is on my damn mind, thank you." She spat.

Corazon was actually shocked to hear her sister speak like this. She had dismissed her sister's brains as having completely melted into wannabe heroic slushie from hanging around with the lizard and the blue idiot. To hear her actually voice her opinion in such a way? She had thought she wouldn't have it in her to just throw away politeness like this.

Before she could comment on it, she found herself weathering a harsh glare from her sister. "Now tell me why you're so damn tense."

What is she playing at? Oh. Of course. "If you think that words can save you..."

"Save me? You're the better ninja, sis. You always were. I don't stand a chance. You know it, I know it, Sonic knows it. Sash doesn't but then she was an idiot who thought that the real world work like a TV show. So no, I know words won't save me. But if I'm gonna die, then screw it. If you don't want to hear what I think of you and your stupid supervillain schemes, then just kill me already."

This annoyed Corazon immensely, though she didn't voice it. She was clearly baiting her. So she stood back, her pistol holstered, her grip on the Mech-Blade solid and firm. She planned her next attack as she watched her sister move slowly, probably doing ths same even now. To her disappointment, she wasted time talking further.

"I mean, why the hell are you so tense? You concentrate as if this was some kind of epic final confrontation in one of those video games I play in my spare time! I mean, why? It can't be me. So why are you so damn tense?"

The constant meowing and mewling of her younger sister was getting on Corazon's nerves. What the hell do she thinks she's doing? What is this joke? She pointed her pistol and fired. Frustratingly, her sister evaded her aim and kept swinging that katana to deflect her projectiles. She groaned, loaded an explosive round, and fired. Carol kicked into the floor, the round only managing to dent the walls. A pity.

"You're a hypocrite, aren't you? Same as those dishonorable butt heads from that other clan, the... the... I dunno, I don't care to remember the names of every two-bits disgraced idiot I run into. You're the exception because you're family and because you're making my own dishonor worse by continuing to live."

"The words of a dead girl are worth nothing." Corazon said. She was starting to seriously dislike the sounds coming from her younger sister's mouth. Really. She was.

"Neither are those of a dishonored piece of trash." Carol shot back, actually going to the offensive. Carol came in with her Wild Kick maneuver, a maneuver that Corazon could counter easily. She snatched one of her feet and prepared to twist the ankle only for Carol to send her other foot toward the older feline. The maneuver caused Carol to fall, of course... bringing Corazon down with her.

Corazon let go of her sister as fast as she could and rolled away but not before feeling pain as the younger feline jumped back on her feet, firmly slamming all of her weight into the older sister's wrist. She sprung to her feet and tried to swing the Mech-Blade to bisect her sister but the blinding pain of having her hand nearly crushed caused her attack to be slower and weaker than intended, allowing her sister to sidestep it.

She got a hold of herself and leaped back, facing the other Tea. They were openly glaring at one another by now.

"You're a fool to think that has any importance."

"Given I'm gonna die? Yeah yeah, all that big talk about making history and all that shitty nonsense. But once you're dead and gone, all of that honor and legacy nonsense is suddenly all you have left. Why do you think that no one cares about worthless murderers? They ruined a couple of lives and didn't impact anything on the long run. Hell, even the big time dictators will ultimately only be remembered because people spent a couple of years, maybe a couple of generations, undoing all that they achieved. They're worthless, a complete waste of time, tales that people tell one another to feel better because they're not them. So yeah, I really fucking cares about my honor, you dishonored piece of shit."

"And yet, here you are, throwing your life away in a fight that you can't win."

"I have nothing to lose and all to gain." Carol was smiling. It wasn't a pleasant smile. Corazon admitted that she was shocked at the sheer speed at which her sister moved. Not fast enough, though. She had killed dragons and probably could outfight even the blue wonder. Carol's attack, while surprising, was effortlessly dodged. But again, as she tried to counter, her sister evaded. She tried to use a grenade to make sure Carol's little tactic wouldn't work... but she underestimated the strength of her shields, which blocked off the shrapnel of her grenade.

And then, as Carol stood there, she suddenly had her mouth open as she went "Ooooh! Now I get it!" before putting her fists on her waist, smirking in a way that thoroughly made Corazon wish that her younger sister would drop dead.

"You're so tense because you're trying to block out the fact that you know you're a dipshit who is destroying our family's legacy!"

That did it. Corazon flinched and gripped the Mech-Blade with all of her strength. A trace of rage could actually be seen in her eyes below the icy facade that she usually portrayed.

"I mean, you can't be this stupid, right? You do know that if you erase the dragons' legacy, you'll have to replace it with something else."

"Are you selectively deaf, sister? You know for who I am doing this! You would be at my side if you weren't bent on dying as a sidekick for some worthless lizard."

Carol definitely noticed that Corazon hadn't taken a shot with her pistol and took the opportunity to punish this mistake. She kicked into the floor hard, sending herself leaping toward a nearby wall before kicking into it, using her hands' claws to make sure the angle was right. Corazon tracked her, as expected... and then took a shot when she had commited to a trajectory. Just as Carol had predicted, too. The younger sister had driven her blade into a loose tile on the floor slowly while the older sister was distracted by her words and as she landed fast and hard, it kicked up dust and the tiles she loosened. Thus, only one or two of the bullets came anywhere near to hitting her, the others deflected by the tiles and sending more dust all over the place.

Corazon snorted internally. This trick? She have goggles, Carol does not. Do she think mere dust can hinder her into doing a mistake? Carol then continued to meow uselessly at her. How sad.

"Oh please. Do you got a short-term memory problem or are you inbred? Where do you think our legacy come from, sis?"

Carol came charging. Corazon brought up her own blade but Carol kicked backward at the final moment, causing Corazon to swing at empty air. She didn't take the bait though and didn't stumble. Darn it. Oh well. She carried on.

"Kim Lilac, sis. My best friend's ancestor giving Bail Tea the big chunk of metal you're currently carrying and entrusting the fate of our world to our family because she knew that her descendants would be stupid goody-blue-shoes like Sash who think the world is a giant fairy tale. If you erase the dragons, you erase us too."

Then she paused. And then, as the dust cleared, Corazon saw the disgust and disappointment on Carol's face. "Unless... oh COME ON! You're not going to be taking Bail's place and remake the world in your image, aren't you? That's stereotypical supervillain nonsense! Did you copy it off some comic book or something? You plan to destroy your family's legacy, to piss all over not only Coral's grave but Bail's as well, just because you hate dragons? The combined nobilities of Avalice don't produce morons inbred enough to come up with an inane scheme like this!"

This did it. For a moment, Corazon was as still as a statue, her expression unmoving. But instead of being a stone mask, her expression was frozen in one of total offended disbelief. She just stood there, paralyzed, her mind screeching to a halt. Then, slowly, her left eye begun to twitch slightly. Her right hand's fingers convulsed. Her tail behind her begun to sway, starting to wag slowly.

Then the older feline erupted into a screaming rage, her pupils shrunk to dots. She spun through the air, unleashing all of her strength, her demented fury splitting the floor in two and sending large blocks of metal and concrete all over the place as the Mech-Blade vented its wrath. The attack didn't even come close to striking the younger sister, who stabbed the katana right into the side of her head, the blade shrieking against the bright barrier of Corazon's shields.

Corazon swung back to strike at her assailant only to see her leap back. Frustrated beyond reason, the older feline curled up and then, a loud and ominous noise echoed. The Spindash. A deadly Mobian technique taught to the Tea family through the generations, the same one that Sonic had used to destroy so many of Eggman's machines. Being so young and lacking the hedgehog's natural speed, she had not been able to master it yet, only being able to use the roll. Corazon, being older and better trained, obviously had use of it.

Corazon's body shot out like a cannonball, aimed straight at her sister's body. The Spindash is a devastating, supersonic attack that few could hope to counter. Eggman had built countless machines to counter it, always failing. But Carol Tea was not Eggman. And she knew exactly the way to counter it.

The Wild Kick connected with Corazon and sent her flying back. Even as she uncurled, Corazon looked up to see Carol pouncing toward her, having dropped her katana, both sets of claws extended. The Wild Claw attack was powerful enough to rend steel and made short work of the feline's already weakened shields, a loud power down sound indicating that Corazon's batteries for the thing had just run out.

She did not care. She hissed in rage, leaping backward, the Mech-Blade activating and shifting. Its blade split apart, taking the shape of a high-tech hovering motorcycle. She tore off toward Carol, trying to run her right over.

Carol leaped out of the way, doing a roll as she did so and catching her dropped katana mid-roll as Corazon flew over the hole she had created thanks to the Mech-Blade anti-gravity systems. As Corazon made a second pass, Carol held the blade horizontally. Crimson filled her view as the blade drawn blood.

Corazon reacted instantly. She leaped off the Mech-Blade, leaving it to crash into a wall. She landed on her feet, her waist split open. With a cry of demented rage, pain mixed in, she took out a pre-prepared syringe and slammed it into her left thigh, the wound closing as she injected the liquefied Life Petals into herself. She discarded the used syringe and leaped into the air, starting to spin like crazy. Carol barely had the time to pounce to the side to avoid the Homing Attack. The only reason she was able to dodge it at all was that it wasn't as fast as Sonic's.

Even then, Corazon nearly smashed into her narrowly time after time. Frustration climbed inside the elder sister's heart.

"WHY?! WON'T?! YOU?! DIE?!"

Carol then tried to turn around and make it so that Corazon would do a Homing Attack straight into her katana... only for Corazon to adjust her trajectory slightly, slamming the younger feline into the floor. Carol's shield powered down with a whine, leaving her pinned down solidly by her older sister. With a harsh pull, Corazon instantly broke Carol's right hand and then gripped her neck with all of her strength.

"You worthless FLEABAG!" she screamed at her face. "You think I have time to waste on YOU?! I won't be denied by a lizard whore, a blue rat, and even less by a flea-bitten piece of garbage like you! If you idiots love those fossils so much, then join them where they belong! IN THE GRAVE! LIKE ALL FOSSILS LIKE-"

Corazon suddenly found herself unable to speak. There was a feeling of intense heat and penetration, burning her inside out. Suddenly, she found that not only could she no longer choke Carol further but as she tried to speak, blood poured into her mouth and prevented her from saying anything.

She looked down and saw the bright blade of Bail Tea's Mech-Blade plunged to the hilt into her chest, Carol holding into it. Corazon's mind screeched to a halt. Completely. How? Why?

As she coughed up crimson and shook from blood loss, she... giggled?

"Oh. So... this... this is how... how you defeated Brevon." She actually smiled, tears pooling into her eyes. "W-well played, sis. W-well played..."

Carol removed the blade, Corazon weakly rolling to the side. She didn't bother going for a second syringue of liquefied Life Petals. With Carol standing over her, she knew it was only a matter of time before she died. But at that moment, the Mech-Blade was deactivated. She slowly put it down, stole one of Corazon's own syringes, and healed herself. With that done, she sheathed the Mech-Blade and retrieved her katana before glaring at her older sister.

"Oh please. I'm not you." Carol said, annoyed before approaching Corazon and then, taking all of her Life Petal doses. She injected half of one into Corazon... and then, even as she healed, grabbed her left arm and twisted, breaking it. She did the same with her other arm, the older feline hissing in pure pain before feeling Carol also broke her legs. Then, before her eyes, Carol thrown all the spare Life Petal doses on the floor and crushed them under her shoe.

"I'm not Sash, either. See you in jail, sis."

But then... Corazon laughed? She laughed some more? Carol blinked and turned back to her sister. She had just crushed all of her chances of winning, defeated her and she's laughing? And this wasn't a bitter laugh either. It was a cold, heartless, unfeeling laugh. What's going on?

"Naive to the very end, aren't you?" Carol was creeped out. First of all, how does Corazon manage to sound so cold when she should be in a lot of pain right now? Second, what's going on?

"Do you really think I was going to settle our grand conflict over the fate of our worlds on a physical battle with you and your allies? I was just hunting Sakura Lilac personally for personal pleasure, as a moment of weakness, to enjoy my victory. My REAL plan is coming along perfectly fine. Even if you had killed me, the fact is, you have already lost."

"What are you playing at, sis? You've already lost. Whatever you planned, you can't do it in that state."

"What I am going to do?" Corazon allowed herself a hint of derision and a smirk. It did as intended, creeping our her stupid younger sister further. "The better question is, what have I done?"

And it was then that Carol realized it. Her eyes widened. "... oh no."

Carol broke into a sprint. She had to find Sash and Sonic NOW!

* * *

A loud rumble nearly shook the entire island as the group of four with the weakened princess nearly fell into a dogpile out of the citadel. Sonic wasted no time getting back to his feet and helping the others up before a large chunk of rubble crashed down in front of the entrance of the citadel, blocking the five outside.

"So much for going back..." Sonic said. "Everyone else alright?"

Sash nodded. "I am okay." She spoke.

"The Empire is in worse shape than I previously thought..." Sakura spoke. "There isn't much time. In only an hour's time will the island collide with our planet... and wipe out life as we know it."

"Is there any way we can divert this?" Tails said. "If we can't stop this entire island from collapsing..."

"Mobius will be destroyed." Milla finished. "and Avalice's history along with it."

"We must get off the island first." Sakura spoke. "It is unsafe to stay here and discuss thi-" At the sound of what appeared to be a plasma blade firing up she froze, her pupils shrinking to dots as her muscles tensed up, her tendrils twitching in fear at the sound. The rest of the group tensed up and got into what defensive positions they had before the gigantic plasma blade cleaved the rocks. The dust started to clear...

...and almost immediately the group was relieved to see their familiar wildcat friend. Carol had soon resheathed the Mech-Blade onto her back as Tails had ran up and hugged her tightly.

"Carol..." Tails spoke. "Thank the gods you're alive..."

"Heh..." She lightly breathed. "Did you ever doubt me Miles?" She soon broke the embrace though as she looked over to the rest of the group. "There isn't much time. Corazon has already unleashed something onto the island in an attempt to secure her victory, and given we don't know exactly what the hell that is? We need to get out of dodge. Now."

Sash nodded. "Where's the exit?"

"F-further away from here..." Sakura spoke. "We must hurry, as the isl-" She was interrupted from a hand motion by Sonic as his ear twitched.

"I hear something..." Sonic spoke. It wasn't long before his eyes widened.

"...oh no. Not that thing again..." He spoke.

"Sonic?" Sash asked. "What do you mean by 'again'?" The answer didn't even leave the hedgehog's mouth before a massive brown streak whizzed by them, a massive gust of wind from the velocity it was traveling nearly throwing them off their feet. Sash gripped the ground tightly, her teeth clenching before the strong gust died down.

"Sonic, what the hell was that?" Sash said, before the brown streak had whizzed by again; this time even faster than before then the heroes could brace for, sweeping them all off of their feet into a newly opened portal. The wind force was too strong as the all were swept away into the portal as it closed...

* * *

Atop the broken spire the severely injured Corazon still laid, unable to move from her encounter with Carol. A small sadistic smirk crept up on her face as she saw the brown streak had departed from the Sigwada and made a beeline straight for her sister and the renegade group.

"Heh... so it has been done..." Corazon muttered. "The beast has been unleashed onto this world... and now it can't be stopped..." She coldly chuckled. "My plan will live on... and now not even I can stop it..." She gave off a faint cold smirk. "And once this is done... Mobius will be eliminated... permanently..." Her speech had ended as the brown blur whizzed by her, creating another massive gust of wind that blew her into another opened portal, sealing shortly afterward...

* * *

Soon enough another portal had opened up on the snowy bank of the lake below, ejecting the six out into a massive pile. Sash moaned as she sat up, the rest soon following suit from what had just happened.

"E-everyone alright?" Sash spoke, getting to her feet and helping her ancestor up.

"I think so..." Carol spoke, getting up. "Is Sakura still alive?"

"S-still here..." The dragon weakly spoke before her eyes turned towards the collapsing island above the lake. "However... we are running out of time."

"Well how are we supposed to stop something like that?" Tails spoke. "None of us are in any kind of condition to try and even do something like that, and we don't even know what Corazon's done to the Bakunawa! Unless we have an ace on our side, we're sunk!"

"...there is one option we have." Sakura spoke, looking to Sonic and Sash. "Hedgehog. The sacred gems."

Sonic's eyes widened. "But we've only got two of the Chaos Emeralds! Even with what we have, tha-" He stopped when Sakura had raised a hand.

"Do not think I am aware of this." Sakura spoke. "Thankfully I have made a contact with a familiar source my family has had in case this would happen..." At that moment the two familiar figures of Dr. Ucano and Merga had materialized in a flash of red light before the group, the familiar bird doctor holding what appeared to be a long case of some sorts.

"Ah, what impeccable timing! Found just in time the group I needed to!" Ucano spoke. "There's no need to explain. Your friend here has filled me in on the current situation regarding my prototype and it careening out of control. Thus, I have taken the precautions and fetched the bloodline's most prized possession." He then turned and open the case to the group, revealing five familiar gems. "The Chaos Emeralds, gifted to us from the Knuckles tribe generations ago after the incident that befell them. And if I guess correctly..." He said, looking at Sonic and Sash. "You have the last two."

"How did... how did you know? We-" Sash started, but was interrupted by the doctor.

"There's no time to explain proper now." Merga spoke. "You two must use the emeralds to stop that island from falling!"

"My descendant..." Sakura spoke, drawing the attention of Sash. "Your bloodline has a gift. A gift of wielding Chaos Energy; a power so rare, so thinly hidden, only a select chosen few bloodlines contain this trait to pass down through their descendants. Myself, my mother before me, and her mother before me have had this trait. You too have this trait. Now, take the other emeralds before you and unleash the Sacred Forme you have inside you. Let her run free to stop this crisis."

"..." Sash was silent, taking in the entire speech her ancestor spoke. When she had finished, Sash had looked up, a glare filled with confidence as her fists tightened and gave a small nod. "This world was where my family came from... and like my home now before it... I will do everything in my power to save it." She looked to the hedgehog by her. "Sonic."

Sonic merely nodded before a rip was heard as another portal opened up nearby, catching the group off guard as Corazon was ejected from the portal itself, smashing head-first against a rock and knocking her unconscious. Milla had soon rushed over to the unconscious wildcat and checked her pulse in her neck.

"She's still alive, but she's out cold." Milla spoke. "I don't think she's anymore of a threat."

"Good." Carol bluntly spoke, before looking to the hedgehog and the dragon. "Sonic. Sash." The two nodded before an ear-piercing shriek was heard, causing the entire group to flinch before the brown streak appeared again and this time stopped in front of the group over the lake; it's massive wings outstretched, the red veins pulsating through them as the two blood-crimson orbs connected to its round brown body stared down the group...

* * *

 ** _To Be Concluded..._**

 ** _Chapter 17: Scarred Skies Act 6:_**

 ** _E . G . G . A . T . S ._**


	18. Chapter 17: EGGATS

**_..._**

 ** _Sonic and Sash: Tides of Chaos 2  
Bad Bloodlines  
Act 3_**

 _Chapter 16: Scarred Skies Act 6:_

 ** _E. G. G. A. T. S._**

* * *

The group was paralyzed from the mech's glaring gaze as it stared them down. It was as if time had frozen entirely as the ominous mech stared them down, the red veins across its wings glowing in an ominous pulse... before the massive Bakunawa had soon warped behind it, the gigantic foreboding mech staring the group down. Sash's heart nearly stopped at the sight of this. This thing could control the Bakunawa?! Her heart sank further as soon the Bakunawa opened its massive jaws, the mech itself lodging itself into the massive jaws, its wings wrapping around the back of its head and latching onto it. Its eyes flashed again as it connected into the Bakunawa, syncing itself up with its weapon systems before it spiraled upwards, heading straight off for the titanic falling island...

The dragon's fists clenched, her eyes starting to water as a flaming rage flashed across her eyes as she saw the mech took off. Her tendrils violently whipped as her posture rightened, her eyes burning hot like fire as the green Emerald in her hand started glowing brightly, her eyes staring to flash from their fuchsia-scarlet to a bright burning golden, the Chaos Energy already starting to flow through her veins as the other Emeralds started to gather around her and Sonic, the hedgehog's fists clenched, his breathing sharp and steady, his eyes now a burning crimson.

Sash and Sonic looked directly to eachother, their eyes brimming with confidence as they gripped their respective Emeralds. Surely enough the moved toward eachother, their respective Emeralds now shining brighter than before as they raised them above their heads the other five Emeralds swirling around the two. With a quick flick of their wrists and a grit of their teeth, they clashed the gems together, a bright empowering light nearly blinding the rest of the group. A primal growl ripped through Sash's throat as her body felt being lit ablaze, the scarlet flames of Chaos Energy swirling around her body, licking her skin as it flashed to a blazing hot pink, her darker scales and her hair flashing to a burning deep scarlet red, her horns swooping more majestically as her tendrils nearly doubled in length. The growl grew louder into a roar as her back arched, her combat vest outright shattering into pieces from the surge of energy rushing through her body, leaving her black bra as her shorts and boots flashed to a burning red, the crimson flame now extending to her already worn scarf and making it longer, the dragon's pupils now reduced to slits, her draconic fangs now sharper than before as the burning scarlet aura remained around her, the flames swirling across and around her body. Sonic meanwhile was letting out a massively loud yell as the Chaos Energy aura surrounded him, massive electrical sparks crackling and discharging around him as soon his fur flashed to a hot golden yellow, his spines now flashing upwards as the energy surged through his body, the electrical sparks now swirling around his body as the two hovered off of the ground. Sash rolled her shoulders as she cracked her knuckles.

"Haven't had to use this form in a good while." She spoke, a small smirk appearing on her face before it quickly faded, her eyes narrowing. "Sonic."

The hedgehog nodded. "Let's get moving." He spoke, before the two blasted off across the surface of the massive lake, the streaks of gold and scarlet streaking before they took off into the sky. At that point Sonic's communicator watch started beeping before a transmission came through.

"Hedgehog, dragoness, can you hear me?" A voice spoke through the communicator.

"Loud and clear Doc!" Sonic spoke as the two shot straight up for the falling island. "So what's the scoop for calling us?"

"Just a mere amount of advice for you regarding the current predicament regarding my prototype creation..." Ucano spoke. "The Bakunawa I designed to be the ultimate defense weapon for the Empire, harnessing the power of the ferrofluid make its armor completely impenertable. However, there came a drawback to it; it would generate dangerous amounts of heat to the point of it shutting down from overexhaustion of the heated ferrofliud."

"Alright, so it's prone to overheating, how is that gonna help us?" Sash spoke. "I may be a Fire Dragon in this form, but I highly doubt I'll be able to generate flames hot enough for that thing to malfunction."

"That's where my failsafe comes in." The doctor replied. "Sonic, Sash, you need to aim for the giant nodes that cover the machine's body up to its tail. Those are the coolant vents I had installed in order to keep the ferrofluid heat levels down. If you destroy those nodes, it should generate enough heat to cause the entire mech itself to fail and shut down!"

"That sounds like a plan to me!" Sonic said.

"However, I would be more worried about that other mech that has attached itself to the Bakunawa." Ucano spoke. "I know nothing of that machine's offensive capabilities so take extreme care when you fight that thing."

Sash merely nodded. "Very well doctor. Get the others to safety in case this fight gets a bit messy."

"Understood. Be careful out there you two." He spoke before the transmission cut. Sonic glanced over to Sash. "You ready for this?"

Sash gave a small nod. "We do this... for the fate of both our worlds!" The two interlocked hands before they took off, the sheer pressure from their combined speed boots shattering the sound barrier as they caught up with the combined mech. Sash wasted not time and immediately shot through two separate coolant nodes before the mech retaliated. Several rockets fired off from its back before flying straight at the two, the dragon's muscles tensing up as the rockets flew straight at them before she spun, her longer tendrils making a longer sweeping motion, basically becoming a helicopter blade as the rockets collided with her tendrils, the rockets exploding harmlessly off her before she had sliced up another coolant unit. The mech's eyes flashed before several white orbs flashed out in front of it before they blinked a couple of times and shot off straight at Sonic and Sash. The hedgehog managed to dodge the attack, however Sash took an orb straight to the face and got knocked back. She shook off the pain before she rocketed forward again as Sonic smashed through another coolant unit, shredding it apart. The black ferrofluid soon started bubbling and shot out into massive needle-like spines, shooting off straight at the two. Sash dodged but one of the spines grazed right by the side of her face, slashing it open as the crimson liquid started to spill out. Her teeth clenched as she shot forward in a crimson fireball, igniting the other spines and causing them to catastrophically fail as the burning spines severed and fell to the freezing lake below. Sonic shot forward and blasted through another coolant unit before the beast launched another attack; a reticle. Sonic quickly started zipping around the mech in a cyclone motion as the reticle tried to lock onto him, then mere seconds after it the air had been displaced right behind the hedgehog. He was lucky; had he just been a fraction of a second slower, he would have been Chaos Control warped into a solid rock wall that would have killed him instantly. Sonic tensed up as he shot forward in a sparking ball of electricity, smashing through two more coolant units before the mech retaliated again, firing off more orbs at the two. One collided with Sonic and had knocked him backwards several feet, throwing him off his concentration before he shot forward again colliding with the back of the Bakunawa head. The mech recoiled forward a bit before a black blast of ferrofluid knocked the hedgehog back, causing him to shake his head in pain before he rocketed forward again, catching up with Sash.

"How much more of a beating is this thing gonna take?!" Sash yelled.

"Not sure, but a good amount of its coolant units are destroyed!" Sonic replied. "Let's go for a Twin Spin! That might be enough to set it off!"

Sash nodded. "Then let's go!" The hedgehog and the dragon joined hands before they shot forward in a streaking ball, the sounds of crackling sparks and scorching fire filling the air as the golden-scarlet blur shot forward, slamming into the back of the head of the Bakunawa, the metal creaking loudly from the restrained of the combined attack before it gave way, the two smashing through the top half of the jaw of the gigantic mech and straight into the back of the brown winged mech, its grip loosening as the two pushed it out, the broken dragon mech falling to the frozen lake below and exploding on contact of hitting the frozen surface. Upon launching the mech forward, Sonic and Sash uncurled from their attack and blasted off after it.

"Alright Sonic, since I'm pretty sure Doctor Ucano wouldn't know, what in the HELL is that thing?" Sash spoke, clear enough while she was trying to suppress her emotions to focus on the task at hand she wasn't too happy.

"A bot I fought nearly several years ago, and one that's survived me in my super form before." Sonic spoke. "Eggman originally created it to incapacitate me in the first place and to probe the subspace between dimensions for obtaining the Chaos Emeralds in the first place. Corazon must've had AAA rebuild that thing as a last-ditch attempt to secure our victory!"

"Hasn't stopped us before, has it?" Sash spoke. "We can stop this Sonic!"

"I can only hope..." Sonic spoke before the mech's eyes flashed, several reticles appearing around the two. "Keep your guard up!"

Sash nodded before she shot forward in another fireball, heading straight for the looming owl mech. It retaliated by charging up a massive beam and firing it head-on at the scorching fireball in an attempt to snuff it out. Sash held firm but eventually the beam overpowered her and she was thrown backwards, crashing through the frozen lake's surface and into the stinging water below. Sonic shot forward, the sparks showering off his body as he collided with the owl mech itself, shoving it forward before his fingers dug into it, shoving it downward and smashing it across the frozen surface of the lake, holding it there before it warped away from his grip, reappearing behind him and smashing him into the waters of the lake. Sonic was dazed for a couple seconds before he shot back up through the ice, giving chase after the owl mech as a pillar of flame scorched through the ice, a soaked Sash soon blasting forward in hot pursuit of the owl mech.

"You weren't kidding when you said this thing could take a beating." Sash spoke as she caught up with Sonic. "Not even my flames are able to make this thing flinch!"

Sonic's fists gripped tightly. "Should we try another Twin Spin?"

"I don't know what much damage that could do, but we've gotta try something!" Sash answered. The two clasped their hands before launching off another twin spin attack at the owl mech, crashing into it. It's outer shell started to crumple inwards as the two grinded against its hull before it released a shockwave, knocking the two backwards from the mech as it took off away from them.

"Not even a Twin Spin?!" Sash said. "Ancestors above, what the hell is this thing?!"

"We can question that later!" Sonic retorted, shooting forward. "Let's get this thing destroyed first!"

Sash merely sighed before she took off after Sonic, the two flying across the frozen surface of the lake as the caught up with the mech itself before its crimson lenses flashed, a large golden ring appearing in front of them.

"It's trying to get away into the subspace!" Sonic yelled. "Come on!" Sash tensed up before the two rocketed forward after the mech into the gigantic golden ring, the entire thing dissipating into a shower of sparks once the three had gone inside. On the snowy bank of the lake was shown of the group being distressed.

"Wh-what happened?!" Carol yelled. "Where'd they go?!"

"They've hit a dimensional Ring!" Tails spoke. "They've gone into subspace after that thing!"

"Well... we must not hope they take too long in there..." Milla spoke, looking up at the collapsing island. "Else... this world will meet its end..."

* * *

A shower of sparks flashed around the exit point before the three figures appeared in a blinding white light, the large owl mech taking off across the sky of surreal scenery as the other two tumbled across the lavender marble flooring.

"Owww..." Sash groaned, getting to her feet. "How... how did I feel that? I haven't been able to feel pain in this form before..."

"It's this subspace." Sonic spoke, getting up. "Our super forms invincibility is negated while we're in here."

Sash growled, getting up. "A minor inconvenience. It's not going to stop us. How do we get through here?"

"Just follow my lead." Sonic spoke before he took off, the dragon right behind him as they flew across the marble flooring of the surreal landscape, the paths twisting and turning as they weaved through the tight corridors, passing through cloud barriers of the surreal world.

"This place is so trippy..." Sash spoke before she yiped, dodging out of the way from a massive energy blast from the owl mech. "And apparently dangerous!"

"Keep moving." Sonic spoke. "As long as we're constantly moving, it can't hit us and we'll be able to get a strike on it!"

"I seriously hope you know what you're doing Sonic!" Sash said as she barely dodged another blast from the owl mech as the two raced among the twisted roads of the dimension. The owl mech kept firing off several energy shots as thy collided with the ground, nearly throwing the two off their feet before it dashed away from the two to another location.

"Did we lose it?" Sash asked.

"Don't think so..." Sonic spoke before the mech crashed into the wall, its crimson lenses locked onto the two, flashing before it fired a massive beam at the two, barely having time to dodge out of the way before the beam scorched the floor where the two had just stood.

"Just wail on it!" Sash yelled before she violently started whipping the frame with her long tendrils, slashing at the metal as if her life depended on it. Sonic soon joined her and rammed straight into the owl mech, grinding against the hull of it with his own spines. The hull started to crumple in before the mech released another shockwave, throwing the two backwards before it took off across the skies again. It didn't take long before they took off after the fleeing mech, smashing through several of the illusionary pillars that extended from the clouds, passing by several half-pipe tubes that weaved through the cloud cover.

"Sonic!" Sash yelled, pointing ahead to a giant golden ring in front of the mech. "It's trying to get away!"

"Not if I have a say in it!" Sonic answered. "Go for the wings!" Sash nodded before the two shot forward, each of them grabbing onto the wings of the mech, digging their feet into the ground as they held the mech back. Sash gritted her teeth, her boots digging hard into the marble flooring as her hands dug tightly into the feathered wing of the mech, using nearly all of her strength to hold it back. Her tendrils whipped back and wrapped around a pillar behind her, trying to prevent her from sliding forward any further as she held fast. Sonic's teeth gritted as he held on like his life depended on it, his feet digging in hard to the floor...

Without them even seeing, the mech's eyes flashed before a massive electrical current ran through its entire body and wings, sending the current into the two. Sash screamed in pain, her eyes widening as the tears starting to flow, the electrical shock burning her body as she let go, shaking in pain from the fresh emotional scars opened up inside her. Her release on the wing caused Sonic to start sliding, his strength alone not enough to hold it back as the blood started to flow from his nose as the mech inched closer to the giant ring.

"Sash!" Sonic yelled, the electricity shaking his voice. "W-we can't let this thing away! I-If it does there's no telling what the destruction i-it could unfold!"

"But the electrocution!" Sash yelled. "I-I can't! It brings too much painful memories!"

"Sash, please!" Sonic yelled back, coughing up a bit of the crimson liquid as the current still flowed. "We need to do this together!" His screams grew louder as the shocks became harsher, the mech struggling to get away. Sash's eyes glanced back and forth between the mech and her hedgehog love, semming ly growing more and more desperate... before something in her snapped. One single thread that had her held back from primal fear alone from grabbing that wing. With little hesitation she lunged forward, gripping tightly onto the wing as the electrical current surged through her body as the blood started flowing from her nose, her teeth clenching as she pulled back. Her pupils dilated and a primal growl ripped through her throat as she soon yanked fast and ripped hard; the mech literally being bisected clean from the ripped force of Sash's strength as the mech collapsed onto the ground, sparking as it shut down... this time for good.

Sash panted, her muscles convulsing from the electrocution as Sonic soon made his way over to her. "Sash, are you alright?"

"Heh..." Sash merely chuckled, looking up, the blood soaking under her nose. "Honestly? I've never felt better."Her seriousness soon showed through. "The island."

Sonic nodded before the two blasted through the ring, leaving the subspace dimension behind...

* * *

A blast of shining sparks and the two rematerialized over the frozen lake, the massive island above now dangerously close to colliding with the planet itself. Sash and Sonic tensed up, their fists clenched as they stared up at the massive falling island.

"There's no way a Chaos Control is going to stop that..." Sonic breathed. "It's too close to the planet!"

A lightbulb hit Sash's mind like a dump truck. "Sonic." She spoke. "The Sky Empire is held up by the magnetic metal, by the Bakunawa, right? Eggman could control it by sacrificing his body, didn't he?"

"Well, yeah, but...!" Sonic realized. "Sash, you're not thinking..." All around South Lake, the gravity waves start being felt, the Sky Speedway crumbling and the change in gravity pushing the Rebel and Sky Empire armada out of the skies, the Sky Empire wrapped in flames. The rest of the group had fled the bank as to brace for impact from the falling island.

"It's the only shot we have Sonic." Sash sadly spoke. Sonic remained silent for a second... before he nodded.

"Then we do this." He said, gripping her hand. "Together."

Sash merely nodded before the two focused their energy, shooting straight upwards into the falling island. Her thoughts starting racing. "This... is our home. The Sky Empire. Hundreds of years ago, through temporal distortion, dragons came to Avalice... They gifted the Avalicians' dying civilization with life, giving them a future where there was none through the sacrifice of themselves." Her chargers explode as she utterly drain them of all remaining energy, pupils reduced to slits. "Now... hundreds of years later. The dragons of Avalice return the favor to their homeworld. A gift of life where there was no future. A gift of love..." Sonic and Sash soon became a blinding scarlet and gold comet as the two plunged into the ferrofluid... it seemed as time had outright stopped the instant the two plunged into the metal.

Then all hell broke loose.

The group on the ground heard what sounded like a pair of loud and agonizing screams. It is Sonic's and Sash's... but it is echoing, metallic. The black metal twitches even as it burns, convering in the form of giant tendrils and tentacles. The skyscrapers all roll, the entire city finished off as the metal converge. The dome drains inside the Sky Empire, the spine-like segments of the Egg Uroboros reshaping, becoming smoother... like a fur-shaped, long-serpentine shape. Another scream of agony, this mixed with absolute determination as a giant, long black dragon head emerge from the black metal. The Sky Empire keeps falling... but outside, thousands of tentacles converge, forming a skyscraper-sized five-fingered dragon hand. Emerging from the shattered dome, a giant black dragon head with red eyes and two long tendrils coming from the back of its head come out. The dragon grips the Sky Empire, shaking and trembling as it tries to slow down the falling island, the Sky Speedway crumbling and smashing up like a crumbled piece of paper as all of the black metal converge. The black dragon's shape convulse in effort and pain, its head and limbs sinking back into the metal only to emerge at other spots, the dragon growing larger as the black metal merge with it. Sash's and Sonic's screams are heard through Mobius as they push into the Sky Empire with all of their weight even as the sun burns and boil them, the flames from the Sky Empire's fall washing over the two... the black metal begin to solidify, losing its consistency. The Sky Empire stops...

From their position, Carol slowly uncurled as the immense wind and trembling stops, the wind turning to a... a strange voice, like a whisper? She turns to see the Sky Empire held up by a gigantic snake-like furry black metal dragon, the black metal lifeless and inert, having expanded all of its energy.

The Sky Empire's fall has been averted, its ruins within the coils of a massive, black dragon statue, acting as a support pillar for it...

Carol's heart felt shattered as she and the rest of the group looked upon the massive statue in front of them, her eyes moistening as the tears uncontrolably flowed from her eyes.

"SASH!" Carol screamed in agony as she collapsed to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. Though it soon hadn't have mattered as a time rift opened up behind the group, sucking them all in except for Dr. Ucano and Sakura before it sealed off, sending them to the Empire in the present...

* * *

 _ **To be Concluded...  
**_ ** _Epilogue: All's Well that Ends..._**


	19. Epilogue: All's Well That Ends

**_..._**

 ** _Sonic and Sash: Tides of Chaos 2  
Bad Bloodlines  
_**

 _Epilogue: All's Well That Ends..._

* * *

The rift opened up before spewing out the broken group onto the stone walkway into a heap before it sealed up for the final time. All around them, they are surrounded by the ruins of the Sky Empire in the present. Before them, a pair of broken chargers could be seen on the floor, abandoned a long time given the rust on them...

Looking to the outside, the city has decayed, vegetation having grown and animals visible in the long abandoned ruins. Looking ahead of them could be seen of the solid form of the black mass, the defined statue figures of the hedgehog and dragon stuck in the metal, positioned in a loving embrace with eachother as it seems their hearts had stopped... permanently, their bodies bare as their arms were wrapped around eachother...

Carol was still distraught, gripping the ground as sorrowful sobs wracked her body, Tails and Milla trying to comfort her. Merga had gotten up from where she had been thrown out and walked over to the chargers, picking them up and examining them, leaving the unconscious body of the other Tea alone. She sighed. "Dragon..." She muttered, looking up at the frozen figures within the metal. "People today may seldom remember your sacrifice... however, those of us who have witnessed it will have it burned into our memories. We will continue your legacy..."

Carol was still sobbing. "W-why Sash... why?" She choked out. "Why did you have to do this..."

"Carol..." Tails started to speak before he was interrupted by the wildcat.

"Miles, I don't know what you have to say, it cannot possibly help this situation." Carol bluntly retorted. "My own lifelong friend I've had is now dead on the same day as the death of my sister. The Same. Fucking. Day." She slammed her fists on the ground, her sorrow and anger building more as her voice cracked. "The last of my own family I could even trust is now dead! Fucking DEAD! THEY'RE NEVER COMING BACK! EVER!" Her eyes flashed of rage as she looked over to the still unconscious and broken-limbed Corazon, just lying on the floor a bit aways from the rest of the group. "And YOU..." She angrily growled, stomping over and grabbing her sister by the neck, slamming her against a collapsed stone wall. "Are you happy now you disgrace of a bloodline? Isn't this what you fucking wanted?!" She yelled, her voice cracking as the tears flowed from her face. "You got exactly what you fucking wanted! My sister is DEAD! My friend, who I've know for almost all my life is DEAD!" She yelled, driving her fist into the side of the unconscious wildcat repeatedly, soon snapping her out of her unconscious state as she looked at Carol, the cold look in her eyes gone.

"Are you HAPPY WITH YOURSELF?!" Carol yelled, now fear showing itself in Corazon's eyes.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" The older wildcat stammered before Carol brought her fist down hard on the wall next to her face.

"Don't play idiot with me!" Carol yelled. "You know EXACTLY what I'm talking about you disgrace of a family member!"

"F-family?" The older wildcat stammered, tears starting to form. "Wh-what do you mean? Who are you?"

Carol brought back her free hand into a fist to clock Corazon across the face another time, before she felt someone grab it. Still enraged, she looked back to see Milla, gripping her fist with a saddened look in her eyes as she somberly shook her head.

"Killing her won't bring them back Carol..." She merely breathed. It took a few seconds, but then Carol's eyes snapped shut, the tears flowing harshly as she dropped Corazon to the ground, herself collapsing to her knees and starting to sob again... until her ears caught something...

Faint steps could be heard nearby; the steps are distinctive... because they're from boots and shoes instead from animal steps. Shadows can be seen in the distance, barely visible due to the sunlight. They weakly stumble forward, one leaning on the other seemingly in a bad state.

Carol's ears twitched before looking over at the shadows, her self-defense kicking in as she got in front of the group, unsheathing the mech-blade and standing at guard, her muscles tense...

The figures stand by the edge of a building, trembling, still a bit too far and obscured by sunlight to be seen. But they're definitely panting, as if they went through something demanding.

Milla soon joins Carol by her side, Phantom Cubes in hands as her eyes glowed green, her teeth clenched. Tails soon had also join, his blaster ready to fire...

The figures start to approach them; they're vaguely blurry due to the bright sunlight shining directly against them, one appears to be panting heavily, the steps slow as they approach the group...

The figure steps out of the intense sunlight... and reveals it to be the two heroes. Sash was a mess, both her horns smashed up... in fact, her entire body looking smashed up and she's lacking her chargers. Her shorts were completely shredded and her boots were torn up, her black bra having its straps shredded and being forced down her body, being nothing more than a crumpled black cloth near her waist. Several cuts and gashes marred her body, and black ferrofluid dripped off of her as she leaned on Sonic for support. The hedgehog was no better, parts of his fur uneven and gashes across his body and bloodied as well. His right pant leg was nearly torn off, his shoes completely shredded and his shade's lenses completely shattered. Like Sash, he also had the black metal dripping off of him as the two merely were limping towards their friends...

"S-SASH!" Carol cried as she resheathed her blade, tacking the dragon into a hug, sobbing. "Y-you're... you're..." She didn't even need to finish her sentence as Tails and Milla had soon also ran over, hugging her and Sonic tightly.

"A-and I'm happy to..." Sash spoke, returning the hug to her family.

"Same..." Sonic spoke.

"We've got some time..." Tails spoke. "Why don't you explain what happened to you two?" Sash merely nodded, leading the others over to the collapsed pillar, the five sitting down on it as Merga stood nearby, leaving the damaged Corazon away from the group. "So... how did you guys survive that? We thought you were dead!"

"To say the truth... we didn't actually make it. It's quite the complicated story and frankly, I feel smashed in more ways than you can comprehend but..." Sash paused for a second, allowing her to catch her breath. "Since Corazon messed with the timeline in general, giving us a bunch of crappy endings filled with paradoxes, one of our friends decided to mess her back in turn and fix it. So... the paradoxes are resolved now."

"Really?" Milla asked. "Does that also explain how you're not passed out even without your chargers on you?"

"Oh yeah, that..." Sash spoke, blushing a bit. "Well, you see... It's because of the way this paradox was resolved. You see... I kind of... used the opportunity to send my past self advice. Oh and while at it, the super prototype made by of my chargers as to, you know, multiple my lifespan by a factor of eight to ten times. It'll be back at home when we return."

"So she's not dying anytime soon." Sonic spoke. "Something I'm thankful for."

"All of us too." Tails spoke. "So... what did you tell yourself?"

Sash nodded. "So... it begun with me dying. Apparently, while Corazon did mess with the timeline, the truth was that time had already been distorted a bit because of the Sky Empire's faster-than-light experiments. This made the Sky Empire a fluid point in time."

"That would make sense." Milla spoke. "It would make it a similar case to Little Planet, correct?"

"Indeed." Sonic answered. "So... we completed the stable time loop that was initially our lives. Once we stopped the Sky Empire's fall, I sent you guys back to the present with my last breath and probably the most painful Chaos Control I had to do."

"Thus ensuring that our worlds' history would meddle, that I would meet Sonic and Tails, and that I would go on this adventure, Sonic would create the portal, and we die, thus saving Mobius and ensuring the dragons' arrival on Avalice." Sash spoke. "A stable time loop. An unhappy one, given Sonic and I die in it, but a stable time loop. And I guess... I was okay with it. But... somebody wasn't."

"But... how could you be here if you had died?" Milla spoke. "Wouldn't that mean you and Sonic should still be trapped up in the solidified ferrofluid up there?" She said, pointing to the two lifeless forms of Sonic and Sash in the black metal.

"Ruff Stuff has a point..." Carol spoke. "While I'm extremely happy you're both still alive... how could you guys cheat death like that?"

"That's the interesting point. Since Corazon damaged the timeline, someone decided to put it back together. And part of putting it back together..." Sash spoke before her voice trailed off, looking above, a small smile adorning her face.

"It was your ancestor, wasn't it?" Merga finally spoke. "It's something I've observed in your blood, Sash. Always wanting to do the right thing to correct what would be a massive mistake..."

Sash merely nodded. "You've hit the nail right on the head." She spoke. "When I was a little girl, I received a letter. A letter written by several people. It was a long letter and though I was so young..." She smiled again. "Friends I had never met but whom I cared for and that cared for me in return waited for us to meet again. And after that information was sent... I knew we would meet again."

"So... it truly was the fate of time we'd all meet?" Carol spoke. Sash nodded in response, earning a light smile from the wildcat. "Well... then I'm glad fate pulled through."

"I think we all are." Sonic spoke, looking out to the sun-bleached skies above them. "Because to be honest? I've finally found the group of family I want to spend my life with."

"Same here." Sash spoke, before something clicked. "Amy and Cream. We should let them know we're alive."

Tails nodded, dialing a frequency onto his comm watch before a voice came through.

"Tails?" Amy's voice spoke. "Is that you? Is everyone alright?"

"All alive and accounted for." Tails spoke. "Hey, I've got a prototype hovercraft I built in there that's already been cleared for flight. Could you set it to autopilot and have it come to our location?"

"Sure. Where are you guys?"

"Well... we're a bit high up..."

* * *

The whirring of the massive hovercraft came to a low hum as it touched down in front of the workshop, an anxious Amy Rose and pensive Cream at the wait to see the group. She was shocked once the hatch had opened and the battered and bruised group had walked out, along with Merga carrying the crippled Corazon over her shoulder.

"Good god... you were right in telling me not to come along..." Amy spoke. "What the hell happened back then? Any why is Merga now with you?"

"It's a long story..." Sonic spoke. "But I'm a hedgehog of my word Ames. I'm back alive."

"Barely..." Amy answered, pulling the hedgehog into a hug. "But I guess I shouldn't be asking for too much... considering my friends are still here."

Sonic said nothing as he just held Amy in the hug before Tails spoke up. "Cream, could you shut down the portal for me?"

"Sure Tails." Cream answered, walking over and throwing the switch, the vortex shutting down as the rift sealed up. "Portal's completely shut down Tails."

"Alright. Now can you take the feather in there and hand it to me?"

Cream nodded, opening the hatch on the side and taking the small brown veiny feather out of the compartment before she walked over to Tails, handing him the feather. "Like you asked Tails. What is it needed for?"

"Just to take some preventative measures." Tails spoke, before looking over to the taller dragon. "Merga... would you like to do the honors?"

"Me?" Merga asked, seeming confused.

Tails nodded. "Sealing away the time loop. Making sure something like this can't happen again."

Merga paused for a moment, then merely nodded, the pigments in her skin changing to the burning red again as she took the feather from Tails. With a glint in her eyes and a crushing grip in her hand, flames soon erupted from the fisted hand for a couple seconds, then ceased. When she opened her hand back up, all that remained of the feather was just a small amount of ash. The ash was soon dusted away by the wind off into the wild blue yonder...

"Well guys..." Carol said, cracking her knuckles. "I'd call that a mission complete."

"Indeed." Sash spoke. "We must return to Avalice now."

Sonic nodded before looking to Amy. "We gotta go now Ames."

Amy merely nodded in response. "Keep yourself safe out there Sonic."

Sonic smirked. "Will do."

* * *

 _Several weeks later..._

"You're leaving already?" Sash asked as she and Sonic stood in the doorway to the treehouse, looking onto the figure on the porch. It was Merga, though she certainly hadn't looked like the menacing ultimate dragon hybrid the two had encountered several weeks ago. Her posture and stance was rather normal as opposed to when she had tried posing threateningly, and she no longer wore what her previous armor was, what little or any that potentially had survived. She was now decked out in a dark blue gi with golden trim, specifically tailored for her sturdy frame and tail, wrappings around her forearms with fingerless leather gloves, black leggings with wrappings around the forelegs as well as tied sandals that supported partway up her shins. Upon her head was a typical conical hat, and slung over her shoulder was a travel pack.

"Sadly so." The dragon hybrid replied. "While I do appreciate the hospitality you both have given me, and giving me a chance, I cannot stay forever. I need to see the rest of this world; forge my own destiny, as you would say."

"Hey, just be careful out there, okay?" Sash spoke. "Avalice may have us but it's still very dangerous out there."

"I'm sure she'll be fine Sash." Sonic spoke before looking to Merga. "You do what you need to do for your journey. Just always know you're always welcome here with us."

Merga nodded. "I appreciate the hospitality." She spoke. "Though I must be on my way now."

Sash nodded as Merga turned and leaped down to the ground and began to walk off. "May the ancestor's light guide you on your journey friend!" She spoke as Merga soon disappeared over a hill and went out of sight. "...I'm glad she's finally found her way."

"Same here." Sonic said. "We did good Sash."

"We did good indeed." Sash spoke. "And quite honestly? I'm glad the Magister decided to gave us paid leave considering what we went through. After that whole ordeal..." She shuddered.

"Yeah, I think we needed a break for a bit after all that." Sonic spoke, feeling the scar across his eye, which Sash had soon noticed.

"Is that permanent?"

"Sadly I think so." Sonic answered. "The doctors at Shang Tu already tried several Life Petal baths on me to no avail. It's sticking whether I like it or not."

"Ouch..." Sash winced.

"I'll get used to it, it'll just take some time." Sonic said, before noticing the new chargers on Sash's head. "Those the new chargers you got?"

Sash nodded, feeling the sleek shiny titanium headset on her head, the blue crystal pacs emitting a faint glow. "Yeah, and to be honest? I've never felt better." She spoke. "These regulate the energy flow into my bloodstream, meaning I don't have to worry about running out as much, effectively tripling my charge time before I gotta swap!"

"Well that's convenient!" Sonic replied.

"You're telling me." Sash spoke. "And watch this!" She spoke, soon hitting a switch and having the chargers deactivate as she pulled them off her head. "I can actually take these off and not pass out now!"

"Sweet!" Sonic answered. "That's definitely gotta be a benefit." Sash nodded before she remounted the chargers again, the faint blue glows returning. "So... you have any idea where Carol went?"

"She said she had headed out to take care of some business in Shang Tu." Sash spoke. "She said she'd be back before dinner. I hope she is, Milla's cooking tonight."

Sonic smirked. "At least dinner's in good hands..."

* * *

"Well well, if it isn't the little Tea that did!" Gong spoke as Carol had approached him and Neera to the entrance of the palace. "It's been a while since you've visited here ever since you completed that mission. What's up? Decided your group is ready to get back into your contracts?"

The wildcat merely shook her head. "It's not for that." She spoke. "We're still recooperating from that incident. I'm here for... other reasons."

"I can only guess what it is..." Neera calmly spoke, brushing her stark black hair out of her eyes as her tense posture fell, her staff coming to rest at her side. "You're here to see... _her_ , aren't you?"

Carol merely nodded. "She... hasn't attempted to try and break out at all, has she?"

Neera merely shook her head. "She's been rather compliant ever since she was turned in, which... rather surprised us given what you had said about her. You had said something about her memory being shattered?"

Carol nodded. "It's... complicated." She spoke. "Am I at least allowed to see her for a bit?"

Neera nodded. "Visiting hour limit though. You may have saved Avalice, but even though there is that, the rules still apply to you."

"Yeah yeah..." Carol grumbled.

"I see the attitude is something that hasn't gone away with age..." Neera remarked as she opened the doors, motioning Carol to come inside. Carol soon had entered into the palace, Gong and Neera right behind her before they took the lead, showing her to the way to the prison hold. As the three got into the lift to head down, Carol decided to break the tense air with a question.

"So!" Carol said. "What are you guys gonna do about Askal since he was a traitor and is now dead?"

Gong was silent for a second before he spoke up. "Plans have already been made to 'remove' him from his position in Shang Tu's militant forces." He spoke. "The respective parties, including his family, have been contacted about setting a funeral and proper burial for him."

"Why, exactly?" Carol asked. "I mean, the guy betrayed you guys right under your noses."

"We're aware of that." Gong spoke. "We're just wanting to give the family the closure they deserve. At least we're handling this with a shred of respect of him, unlike what Zao did for Kalaw.."

Carol's ears perked up, her curiousity built. "Oh? What happened, did Zao blow his lid?"

"Oh that's putting it lightly." Gong spoke. "After he had learned his betrayal, he was immediately having his name and image struck out of the entire city disgracefully and was going to exhile anyone that even mentioned his name! That other kingdoms had to quietly intervene so that another war wouldn't break out."

"Damn..." Carol spoke. "You ever think he's gonna lose his mind?"

"Not on our watch he ain't." Gong answered as the lift hit the floor of the cell hold. "Needless to say we're keeping a close eye on him."

Carol nodded as the two pandas led her to the specific cell. "Now..." Neera said, gripping her staff tightly. "While she hasn't shown any signs of aggression... we will stand guard in case she snaps. If she starts showing aggression, yell for us."

Carol nodded as Neera deactivated the electrified bars and opened the cell, only to close and reactivate the current once she has stepped inside. Sitting on a bed attached to the wall on the far end of the cell was none other than the larger wildcat, her 'sister', stripped of any clothing barring a black form-fitting sports bra and short black compression shorts. Her wrists were encased in a tight shiny metal pair of cuffs, allowing her arms movement but kept her restricted to the cell. Carol stopped about a few feet away from her, remaining still as she looked at the older wildcat in front of her.

"So..." Carol spoke, her voice hushed. "They been treating you well?"

"I... I guess..." The other wildcat spoke, not bothering to look up. "Though... I ask... why am I here?"

"It's... a long story." Carol spoke. "Do... you remember anything?"

The older wildcat merely shook her head. "Nothing. Not a single thing." She spoke. "I don't even remember what I had originally done to deserve this..." Her head seemed to droop lower, a small sigh leaving her body as she looked down.

"Hey, just relax, okay?" Carol said, causing the older wildcat to look up. "You're just gonna be kept here a while, okay?"

"I guess..." Corazon replied, looking back down. She sighed before she felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up, seeing Carol in front of her.

"Just... just try and cooperate to what they tell you, okay?" Carol spoke. "I'll keep coming to visit from time to time."

"Alright..." Corazon answered, sighing again as Carol left the cell, the bars closing again. She somberly shook her head, looking to Neera. "Still no recovery on the lost memory."

"Isn't that a good thing, considering who it is?" Neera had asked. Carol was silent.

"I'm... I'm not sure." Carol answered as she headed for the lift and thanked Neera and Gong.

"Take care on your travels." Neera spoke, her posture rightening again. "While the major threat may be over for now, that deranged simian is still out there somewhere. Take your travels with caution."

Carol nodded. "Thank you Neera. And please... just keep a close eye on Cory, okay?"

The panda priestess gave a small nod in response. "I will do my best."

Carol gave a small smile as she started walking off into the sapphire kingdom, the crowds of Avalicians walking all around her, a handful of people sending her a glance every now and then. It wasn't long before she had heard a familiar voice.

"Carol!" The voice said, before it was seen that Neige had jumped down to beside her. "It's been a while."

"Same to you Taicho." Carol responded calmly. "I'm guessing you've got some news from the Scarves you wanted me to deliver to my friends?"

"For the most part." The snowcat responded. "Natalya is proud of you for what you've done."

"Why me?" Carol asked.

"For putting away Corazon." Neige responded. "You've restored your family's and Coral's honor."

Carol lightly sighed. "Well..."

"Well what?" Neige responded.

"Nevermind." Carol spoke, shaking her head before she looked up at the setting sky above. "You think sis would be proud of me?"

Neige was silent for a second before she spoke again. "Wherever she is? I'm sure her soul is resting easy knowing what you did."

Carol smiled sadly. "At least you think so..." She responded.

Neige nodded before her phone started vibrating, causing her ear to twitch as she removed it from her belt. "Taicho speaking." She said, waiting a bit before expression changed, a mix of embarassment and blush on her face.

"O-oh, that was tonight?" Neige spoke. She remained silent a bit before she spoke again. "Understood. I'll meet you back at base within an hou-" She was cut off as the voice from the other end spoke. "Oh, here? At the old hideout?"

"Neige?" Carol asked before Neige raised a hand, silencing her as she continued to listen to the phone.

"Alright then, I'll meet you here." Neige spoke. "Taicho out." She said, hanging up and reapplying her phone to her belt. "Sorry I gotta cut our reunion short Carol, but that was Spade that just called. We had a private meetup scheduled so I gotta fly."

"Oh, so you two are finally gonna tie the knot?" Carol teased, earning a flustered blush from the snowcat.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Neige stammered, the blush becoming fiercer. "I-i'ts just a business meeting, nothing more!"

"Suuuure." Carol teased. "Take care Neige."

"Same to you Carol." Neige spoke before she took off among the crowd. Carol smiled a bit before she walked to where she had parked her motorcycle before she got on, driving off to the treehouse...

* * *

The stars had now come out, the twinklng light over Avalice as the wildcat stood on the deck of the treehouse, wearing only a black bandeau and black fleece sleep pants, slightly leaning on the railing as she looked up at the sky above. She sighed, her eyes starting to water a bit as a small smile started to grow on her face.

"Sis... I know you're out there in the afterlife..." Carol spoke, looking into the stars. "I... I want to thank you for what you've guided me through. If it wasn't for you helping me when I got kicked out of the family... I wouldn't even be here today. If it wasn't for you bringing me into the Scarves, I never would've met Sash... If... and I can't believe I'm saying this... if it weren't for you dying... I... never would have worked up the courage to try and step out with Sash and try fending for myself. I... I truly have you to thank for this entire ordeal..."

She sighed as she sat down on the deck, her legs swinging idly over the edge as she looked up. She closed her eyes, letting the cool breeze of night brushing up on her fur... until she felt another presence.

"You okay Carol?" A voice spoke, revealing itself to be Sash, dressed in only a buttoned nightshirt and loose black sleep shorts as she sat down next to her wildcat friend.

"I guess..." Carol spoke, her tears still slightly fresh. "Just... just been saying my thanks..."

"Your thanks?" Sash spoke, putting her head in her hand. "When have you ever had any thanks other than Mobius ending up next to Avalice because of a new world with new exploration?"

Carol shook her head. "Not those kind Sash..." She said, looking at her friend with teary, cheerful eyes. "The kind whenever you feel grateful for being alive... when you can still be able to breathe the very air of the planet where you were born..." The tears started to flow before she leaned over and hugged her draconian friend. "...when I can still be with the one who stuck with me through hell and back..."

"Carol..." Sash breathed, before she fell silent and hugged her feline friend back, small tears falling from her eyes. "I never knew..."

"Sash. It's like I've said before..." Carol spoke, looking her draconian friend in the eye. "I'm your tail."

"You're more than just my tail Carol." Sash spoke, tightening the hug again. "You're the sister I never had a chance to have. A family that's given me a second chance... a second chance to be who I really am, deep down... not the overidealistic hero shit, not a cold blooded murderer... none of that. I'm Sash Lilac, myself, a dragon with a heart."

"And a kind one at that." Carol spoke. "I'm really lucky to have someone like you..."

"As am I with you." Sash returned, extending a fist with her pinky out. "Sisters for life?"

Carol paused for a second, then returned it and locked pinkys with Sash. "Sisters for life." She answered, feeling her heart filling with happiness as she met Sash in another hug, slightly shivering.

"It's a lot nippier out tonight than I remember..." Carol said, looking up at the skies. "How about we head inside to the others? Where we belong?"

Sash nodded. "Let's be with our family..." She answered as she and Carol got up, the two heading inside... unaware of the two figures watching them from the cliff, bearing a striking resemblance to Sash and Carol... though they looked older; more mature. The dragoness' clothing was more loose, less formfitting as her hair was brushed in a neat fashion, her tendrils a bit longer to the point where they were barely touching the ground, her boots a bit lower cut then Sash's. The wildcat's appearance had her fur a bit messier, a black band of cloth wrapped around her ample bust and a tattered pair of cargo shorts, held up tightly by a rope belt. A nic was cut out of her right ear, and a familiar blade was strapped to her back. The most peculiar thing about them though was the fact they appeared transparent and cyan; like spirits...

"Well..." The dragon spoke, crossing her arms across her chest. "Seems like you were wrong about our bloodlines never being able to mingle among eachother Bail..."

"...hmph." The wildcat grunted, looking away. "Sheer luck, nothing else. You know that well."

"Oh suuuure, like you haven't had your fair share of luck before." The dragon countered, deadpanning.

"Well if it wasn't for your 'gift' you gave me, Tiangou would probably be enslaving this entire world now wouldn't he?" Bail shot back.

"That was a freak accident you caused and you know it!" The dragon countered.

"Oh please Kim! Like I would make a mistake considering you nearly dropping one of their destroyer airships on one of the kingdoms!" Bail countered. "You're more prone to accidents than I am!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

The dragon huffed, turning away from the wildcat as she did the same, remaining like that for a couple minutes before the dragon sighed.

"...this cycle just seems to keep repeating itself." Kim stated.

"Like that's anything new." Bail shot back. "And yet you still find the need to trust me."

"I could say the same to you." Kim retorted. "I mean, let's face it; who else do we really have?"

"Don't you have the rest of your royals to cry to?"

"...Bail. I'm meaning you." Kim bluntly responded. "Face it, neither of us could have taken down Tiangou without the other's help."

"... that's the only point you have." Bail spat back. "I could have easily taken care of that stupid alien mutt by myself."

"No you couldn't." Kim shot back. "If I hadn't shown up to take that hit for you, you would've been dead. Right then, right there."

"...point taken." Bail spoke. "Bah! Why am I agreeing with you on this?! I hate you!"

"Likewise." Kim retorted. "But yet here we are, still trusting eachother."

"...you are truly one fucked up girl if you still trust me." Bail spat.

"How ironic, coming from you." Kim spat back.

"Whatever." Bail responded, turning and starting to walk away.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Kim yelled, glaring at Bail.

"Our observations are done Kim." Bail shortly answered. "We are no longer needed here. We go."

Kim grunted and quickly caught up to the wildcat, who had stopped. She then put her fists on her waist, tapping a foot. "What?"

"Look... I'm sorry, okay? I was an idiot. I..." The feline sighed. "... nevermind. Forget it."

Kim smiled sofly. "No, it's okay. So was I. I'm just glad things worked out in the end."

"I do hope, someday, that one of my line's daughters will put you lizards in their place."

"Maybe they will, maybe they won't. Weren't you walking away just now?" Kim mocked.

The wildcat snorted in annoyance. "I'll get you for this someday!"

"I look forward to it, Bail."

"Someday! I swear!"

And then, they were no longer here.

* * *

 ** _The End_**

* * *

 ** _And so Tides 2... finally comes to a close. Well... I am very happy with how this has all turned out. I could go out on a long-winded end speech about how I'm finally glad this entire thing is over, but honestly? I think this was my favorite piece of literature to write so far! It was a personally fun experience to write all of this, and put a spin on portrayals of the characters. Though while I do have a lot of people I couldn't have done this without, there's one specific group i want to thank above anyone else:_**

 ** _You._**

 ** _Every single one of you that's stuck with this story and motivated me to keep going until this very end. I will admit, from real-life circumstances that impeded me several times there were points where I wanted to outright scrap the story altogether. But when I saw all the overwhelming positivity coming from you all... all of the positive feedback and the support you've given me... it gave me motivation. I couldn't let you guys down by cancelling the story; I just couldn't!_**

 ** _I seriously can't thank you all enough for your support. If it weren't for all of you... well, Tides 1 probably wouldn't even existed!_**

 ** _But for now, Tides 2 officially comes to a close, the heroes safe and sound once again with some new spiritual awakenings inside them. Things have finally calmed down. Rest easy heroes... this time you deserve it._**

 ** _Credit goes to Zerodius aka Myuu for editing and proofreading._**

 ** _Head Scarf Natalya is owned by Mixedfan._**

 ** _All other characters and franchises are copyright their respective owners._**

 ** _The story of Tides 2 is owned by me._**

 ** _For now, this is the end, my friends. This is SonicChaosEmerald, signing out._**


End file.
